Rose Mary Drake for Tennessee
Tennessee House District 39
(all of Marion & Franklin counties)
Democratic Nominee
Meet Rose Mary
Hi! I'm Rose Mary Drake, a native Tennessean, the middle of three daughters born to Horace and Rebecca Drake. My dad was a Marine and decorated Korean war veteran who studied under the GI Bill and made a career workng his way up in the tire and rubber industry. My mom was a homemaker who went to work at a department store to help pay our college tuition bills, and later became a self-taught investor in the stock and bond markets, socking away a little bit each month to create a stable future for her family. From them, I learned common sense, hard work, and how to stretch a dollar. After attending public schools in Old Hickory, TN and Huntsville, AL, I went on to Sewanee: The University of the South, where I was a Wilkins Scholar and graduated with a B.A. in American Studies. I then went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University School of Law.
I practiced law for over thirty years, licensed in TN and DC, and in that time, I developed skills in both criminal and civil practice. In criminal law, I represented the State of Tennessee in criminal appeals, I later taught criminal and constitutional law, I served on the CJA panel in DC and represented criminal defendants at the appellate level, and I also served as a magistrate (night court judge). So I've seen the criminal justice system from all sides. As a lawyer in civil practice, I represented plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases and in consumer protection cases, and I advised clients on estate planning and probate administration, and a little bit of every other kind of problem that folks might bring to me. Along the way, I also lobbied the Tennessee General Assembly on behalf of non-partisan organizations such as the Tennessee League of Women Voters.
I'm retired from law practice now and I live up on Sewanee mountain near Jump-off, where I spend my time keeping bees, managing my wooded land, and doing volunteer work in the community. I'm active in my church, serve as President of our Board of Trustees, and I sing in the choir. Before I undertook this campaign, I enjoyed traveling in my vintage camper van and seeing all the beauty of this country. I also enjoy writing songs, which I've been doing since I was a teenager. I study part-time in MTSU's Recording Industry department. I never tire of learning new things. I think I'm living the dream, but many in my state and community are not. Our legislature is out of touch with the needs of our citizens. I've decided to do what I can to change that and try to make things better.
What We Are Working For
Public Dollars Should Go To Fund Public Schools, Not Private Entities
I am opposed to using tax dollars (vouchers) to fund private schools. We need that money to improve public schools. Tennessee is already ranked 45th in spending for education and 46th for teacher pay. In rural areas especially, our public schools are the heart of our communities. In states that have tried voucher plans, studies show that the majority of the money benefits families who are already sending their children to private schools. If folks want to send their children to private schools, that's fine, but it should be at their own expense, not at the expense of public schools and the taxpayers of our state.
Women Should Be Trusted to Make Their Own Reproductive Healthcare Decisions
As a result of the Dobbs decision and the overturning of the doctrine established by Roe v. Wade, which was in place for over fifty years, the Tennessee legislature is now making decisions for women about their reproductive healthcare. By the way, our legislature is only 15% female. We have an almost total ban on abortion services, there are no exceptions for rape or incest, and the provisions regarding protection of the life of the mother are so unclear that doctors fear for their liberty and licenses if they treat women whose lives are at risk from miscarriages and other complications of pregnancy. This is dangerous and wrong and we must change the law. To change the law, we must change who we send to the state legislature.
We Need Expansion of Medicaid
Tennessee remains one of only ten states that have not expanded eligibility for Medicaid. In practical terms, what this means is that we have a significant population of our citizens who do not have health insurance. These are people who have too many assets to qualify under current Medicaid guidelines, but don't make enough money to receive subsidies to purchase private insurance under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). These are typically the working poor, often women working in low wage occupations. Without insurance, they can't afford preventative care, so when they become ill or injured they must seek emergency treatment. The cost of such care falls on the uninsured patient, who often ends up filing for bankruptcy, and upon healthcare providers, who must provide emergency care whether they are compensated or not. This has led to closure of hospitals and clinics, particularly in rural areas. Medicaid expansion is funded in large part by federal tax dollars. Right now those federal tax dollars go to other states but not Tennessee. We need to expand Medicaid to return those dollars to Tennessee and help provide better access to healthcare for those now falling through the cracks.
We Need Common Sense Gun Safety Laws
In the wake of the horrific shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, where the shooter used an assault weapon designed for military use, many of us thought that finally the Tennessee legislature would take some sensible action to prevent the deaths that occur as a result of gunshot wounds. Gunshot wounds are the number one cause of death for children. How can we not act to stop this? There's probably not one simple solution, but we can take a variety of steps forward such as passing red flag laws, returning to requiring training before owning a firearm, safe storage laws, etc. Like many Southerners, I grew up hunting, but this has nothing to do with restricting the use of guns for hunting. If you use an assault weapon to hunt, "hunting" is not what you are really doing. We need to address the problem of gun safety and reduce the number of people, particularly children, who die from gun accidents, suicides and homicides.
We Need to Remove the Sales Tax on Food
Tennessee has a very regressive tax structure, with greater burdens falling upon those of low and moderate incomes, who spend a greater percentage of their incomes on necessities like food. We have many loopholes for corporations who are supposed to be contributing to our economy via franchise and excise taxes. We need to remove those loopholes to garner more taxes from big business entities who can pay, and give relief to struggling Tennesseans who live with hunger and food insecurity. We are one of only 13 states that impose taxes on the purchase of food. We need to get rid of that tax and help struggling families.
We Need Open, Transparent Government Where All Voices Are Heard
The Tennessee legislature has a Republican supermajority. That means that the supermajority can pass legislation without convincing one person from an opposing party that it is a good idea, and they have the raw power to stop any legislation proposed by others without giving it any consideration. This is unhealthy. Government is better with strong parties, open debate, and free exchange of ideas. Without it, we have gerrymandered districts which disenfranchise voters, we have a legislature that can choose to overlook the crime and corruption and sexual harassment of employees by its own members, and we have a citizenry that is not heard. You even have to get a ticket to watch the legislature in session, and each legislator has only one per day to give away. They're not going to be handing out those tickets to people who disagree with them. All of this is bad government and we need to change it.
How You Can Help Us
You Can Volunteer to Help Our Campaign
You can volunteer to help our campaign by completing the sign-up form at https://tinyurl.com/seebeptz . We particularly need help with door-knocking and creating interesting content for social media.
You Can Check to Make Sure that You are Registered to Vote, and then Go Vote!
Tennessee has a great app, called GoVoteTN, that you can download for Apple or Android. You can also find it on the web at www.govotetn.com. It's free. You can use it to verify your voter registration, to register to vote online, to find out where you are supposed to vote, to check dates and locations for early voting, to look at sample ballots to see who is running, and so much more. Take a look and make a plan to vote! Tennessee is 50th, dead last, in voter participation in elections. Step up!
You Can Donate to Our Campaign
Campaigns cost money. With your donations, we can buy yard signs, bumper stickers, palm cards, thank you cards, door hangars and stickers. If we get enough, we'll buy digital advertising, print advertising, radio advertising and send postcards. Every little bit helps! So far, my campaign is 100% funded by individual donations, unlike my opponent, who is overwhelmingly funded by big PAC money from corporations and special interest groups. You can make a donation by going to https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rmd4tn . The QR code near this box will also take you there.