Image Credit: Jessica Means, The Tennessee Conservative & Canva
Press Release –
For the first time in over a decade, the people of District 1 (Bristol, Bluff City, Bloomingdale, Lynn Garden, Preston Forest, and parts of Blountville) have a choice in who represents them in Nashville (early voting starts July 17).
Sullivan County Commissioner Jessica Means is the first person to challenge Rep. John Crawford during his five-term tenure. After examining Crawford’s voting record against the grassroots enthusiasm for Commissioner Jessica Means, the choice for conservative voters is Commissioner Jessica Means.
During his five terms in office, Rep. Crawford has earned a cumulative D rating for his NON-conservative voting record and was named by The Tennessee Conservative as RINO of the year twice (2023 and 2025).
Here are just a few reasons for his RINO distinction:
• He voted against letting citizens vote by referendum on term limits (HB0118).
• He voted against a bill that would stop cross party voting in primaries, which means Democrats can influence who Republicans choose as their nominees (HB1045 & HB0405)
• He voted against letting citizens sue the state for unconstitutional laws (HB1971).
• He voted for a state budget that awarded the TN Department of Economic and Community Development a sum of money from which $30 million dollars was awarded to Starbucks.
• He voted against a House Rule that was set to forbid lawmakers’ family members from working as Capitol lobbyists.
There are additional concerns on the horizon that make this election especially critical for Northeast Tennessee.
The Northeast region appears to be a target of special interests and corporate control from Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. All five legislators who made the “Top Five on the Company Dime” list, including Crawford, are from Northeast Tennessee. The District 1 region has a healthy share of legislators whose primary share of campaign money comes from special interests.
Jessica Means, known as the “Faith, Family, and Freedom” candidate, is deeply rooted in Northeast Tennessee and not Nashville. She became involved in politics for all the right reasons during the COVID era when, as a mom and fitness enthusiast, she witnessed first hand how quickly the government can overreach and intrude on the liberties of citizens. Rather than complain, she became involved. She did the American thing and got to know the mayor, ran for Sullivan County Commission, and unseated an incumbent. Since taking office, she has consistently challenged political insiders, who see dollar signs from billionaire investors and want to “play for pay” instead of serving the interests of local families.
When she initiated the moratorium against data centers, local political leaders pressured her to back off and yield to special interests. Instead, Means held her ground for the people of upper East Tennessee. She knew the people of Sullivan County were alarmed by the infrastructure demands caused by data centers and the well-known impact they would have on the accessibility and costs of water and electricity. Jessica understands that career politicians often become more responsive to donors in Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. than to citizens who want to preserve their culture and small-town way of life.
Sending Jessica Means to Nashville will go a long way toward breaking up the moneyed network that has formed after ten years of unchallenged reelections. The ugly reality on the ground is that the local political establishment is run by a tight circle of people. This is how political careers are built and how local representation dies. After years without meaningful electoral competition, Crawford has been conditioned to ignore the voices of District 1 citizens and easily cruise to re-election since 2016.
In stark contrast, Jessica Means has built an army of supporters in Bristol, Bluff City, and some key neighborhoods in Kingsport. She works for every single vote, and that work ethic has been on display since she took office as a County Commissioner and throughout her campaign for the State House.
Among her qualifications as a Faith, Family, and Freedom candidate are:
• She has never voted for a property tax increase during her four years on the County Commission.
• She tirelessly works with Turning Point, USA and Club America, the legacy organizations of Charlie Kirk, which demonstrates her commitment to the future of the conservative movement.
• She was endorsed by the Make America Healthy Again institute for her dedication to keeping medical freedom, competition, and transparency at the forefront of healthcare.
• She initiated a local home school community using a method called Classical Conversations which has grown and still operates successfully.
• She is committed to supporting parents and teachers of public schools as guaranteed by the state constitution.
Based on these and several other credentials, her record of public service, and her ability to build a strong grassroots presence, we believe that Sullivan County Commissioner Means will be a leading voice and presence in Nashville advocating for faith, family, and freedom. For these reasons, we enthusiastically endorse Jessica Means for State House, District 1.
Learn more about Jessica Means HERE and below.
2 Responses
God bless Jessica Means and all the other conservative candidates who challenge entrenched centrists/tepid conservatives in the Republican primary by way of well organized, reasonably financed campaigns.
Good, thanx.
All pray she prevails against lucifer’s RINO Crawford.