Every election cycle, there are many first-time candidates, who start out as regular, non-political citizens, but then are inspired to run due to a major shift in the politics of their state or country.

One such candidate is Alison Beale (she/her/hers), a millennial mom who was motivated to run because of a law passed by the Tennessee legislature and signed by the governor that went into effect on July 1, 2021, allowing citizens to openly or concealed carry handguns without a permit. This has led to a rise in mass shootings in Tennessee, including one at an elementary school in March 2023. But Alison has been a gun control advocate since before this law was passed. A former teacher, Alison taught a student who was the younger sibling of a victim of a mass shooting at a Nashville Waffle House in 2018, subsequently getting involved with a foundation named for this young man.

Like her fellow Tennessean mother Lexi Melton, who we previously interviewed this cycle, Alison is a first-time candidate running as a Democrat in a heavily Republican state. She is running on a platform of common sense gun laws, educational equity, and the reproductive rights of women, and she is passionate about animal rescue and creating safe environments for children.

Where are you based?
Hendersonville, TN.

What is your position/what position are you running for?
TN House District 45.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
My top three issues I am focusing on are gun safety, public education, and reproductive rights. These issues poll with widespread bipartisan support for a reason; they affect everyone in some way.

A major part of my platform is drawing attention to the fact that all injustices are connected and disparities are predictable. Our “free” country isn’t free for everyone — not the LGBTQ+ community who simply want equal rights and to live peacefully, not those living in poverty under systems that prevent them from escaping it, not women who lack bodily autonomy, not children who are doing lockdown drills at school or people who worry about being shot wherever they go, not people who can’t access affordable healthcare, and certainly not Black and Brown people who experience police brutality, poverty, educational inequality, and healthcare and environmental injustice at higher rates. I commit to using my voice to uplift people who are oppressed and advocate for the equality and equity that is needed for systemic change.

What inspired you to run?
I never set out to be a politician… but I bought my daughter Bennett, who is in preschool, a bulletproof backpack following the Covenant shooting. I remember the day I bought it; I told her we were ordering a new backpack and let her pick the pattern. She picked blue dinosaurs. I paid extra for it to withstand assault rifle bullets. I paid extra for it to be lighter, but it was still too heavy for her. So for now, I moved the bulletproof insert to my diaper bag. That way, if I’m out with both of my girls and there is a shooting, I can use my body to cover one of them and throw the bag over the other. I’m no longer willing to simply accept these feelings of anger and helplessness anymore, so I knew I had to step up and run for office — especially in the midst of Tennesseans coming together to create a movement toward change.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
I want to restore humanity, integrity, and compassion to politics. And while that may sound naive to some, the truth is that compassion BELONGS in politics, because our elected officials and legislation determine how we live and the opportunities and resources we have access to. I believe that, ultimately, restoring the humanity we’ve lost through political division will bring the change we need. I’m working toward a future where caring for the well-being of others is no longer considered “radical,” but is the status quo.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
1) Gun reform
Tennessee is still reeling from the Covenant School shooting last year. This shooting has deeply shaken parents, teachers, children, and community and has resulted in a movement across our state. Tennessee has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country, but incredibly weak gun laws. In the past several years, there have been many efforts to loosen gun restrictions despite this data. Our representatives are purely representing their own agendas, because Tennesseans are more united on this issue than ever, but are being ignored by our GOP legislators.

I’m one of the over 80% of Tennesseans who support pragmatic firearm safety laws. Firearms are the leading cause of death of children, and refusal to face that fact is keeping our children and communities at risk. I support a holistic approach to reducing gun violence, but at the forefront of this is undoubtedly the need for gun safety regulations. Taking action to prepare our schools and public spaces for active shooters isn’t enough; we need to prevent guns from getting into the hands of the wrong people to begin with. I believe we can honor the second amendment and responsible gun owners while also implementing regulations that would make our communities safer. I personally support safe storage requirements, ERPOs, waiting periods, prohibiting high-capacity magazines and semi-automatic assault weapons, reinstating permit requirements, and closing background check loopholes. I think a realistic, bipartisan starting point in Tennessee would be to implement ERPOs (75% of Tennesseans support this according to the latest Vanderbilt poll), secure storage laws - especially regarding storage in vehicles (76% of Tennesseans support), and closing the gun show loophole (80% of Tennesseans support).

2) Education

There is currently an attack on our public schools by our state government. The two latest pushes in TN have been to try to reject nearly two billion dollars in federal funding for our public schools and to expand an underperforming, problematic voucher program. What our governor is promoting as “school choice” is actually just diverting public school funds to private schools. Vouchers subsidize private school tuition primarily for those who can already afford it by defunding our already underfunded neighborhood schools. They have shown to decrease student performance, including in TN. These private schools are completely unaccountable to taxpayers and can reject students for any reason — religion, disabilities, test scores. Our children with disabilities and IEPs, and many others, will undoubtedly be left behind.

Public education is already drastically underfunded in Tennessee. TN ranks in the bottom 10 for funding per student and TN teachers are already underpaid by $13,500 compared to the national average. I taught kids who live in underserved areas — as we know, school resources are dependent on property taxes, which perpetuates a level of inequity that is morally insane. All injustices are connected, and justice, fairness, and equity (or the lack thereof) is heavily dependent on education. All kids deserve high quality, full-funded education regardless of their circumstances or zip code. I am a fierce advocate for educational equity and supporting our teachers. I will fight for continued investment into our public school system, equitable resources for schools, increased funding per student, and increased teacher pay.

3) Reproductive Justice

I support women’s bodily autonomy and access to reproductive health care. On a fundamental level, a woman should have the right to make decisions regarding her own body. Abortions can be medically necessary and life-saving, and barriers to safe abortions can, and have, put the lives of women at risk. The decision to get an abortion is incredibly personal, and the government’s involvement in this deeply private aspect of women’s lives is colossal overreach.

I believe in affordable access to family planning services and sexual education, which would reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies. I advocate for affordable and accessible healthcare, housing, and childcare, paid parental leave, a livable minimum wage, and a fully-funded Department of Children’s Services and foster care system. These are things I plan to support legislation for when in office and will inevitably reduce the number of elective abortions.

As of August 2022, Abortion is completely banned in Tennessee. There are very limited exceptions in cases of medical emergency, however there is gray area with the exceptions, what is an emergency, etc. and this ban still puts the lives of women at risk. I personally have two friends who have left TN for abortions of completely non-viable pregnancies. Their stories are devastating and unfortunately becoming more and more common in TN and other states that have stripped women of their rights. With our current GOP supermajority, beginning by pushing for more exceptions, especially exceptions for non-viable pregnancies, is a realistic starting point. But, I will of course advocate for a complete reversal of the ban.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
Tennesseans are way more united than we are led to believe. I believe in transparency in politics and that transparency will lead to unity, understanding, and change. I’m hopeful once people understand that those in power benefit from our division but the people never do, we’ll realize that our strength lies in our unity. I’m running a “love your neighbor” campaign focused on unity and caring for others. When talking to community members, it’s clear that people are tired of hating each other. The last several years have been contentious, but the extreme division is exhausting and unsustainable. People on both sides of the aisle are worried about being able to afford to live, having basic rights, high-quality schools, and making sure our kids are safe. Our current GOP representatives aren’t representing ANY of us well. My desire to listen to and learn from all perspectives is genuine, so I’m running a campaign to prove that it’s possible to have firmly held personal values AND move forward together.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?
Having children of my own is the biggest blessing, and I’m so proud that my girls will one day understand that when everything was falling apart in our state, their mom stepped up to do something about it. What sets me apart from a typical politician is simply that I’m not one. I’m a mom, teacher, and Tennessean who wants to make a difference, and while I may not run my campaign conventionally, it will always be authentic and with the best interest of Tennessee kids and families at heart.

What is your motto in life?
It’s not radical to care about people. :)

Where can we find out more about you?
AlisonBforTN.com / @AlisonBforTN on Instagram/X/FB/TikTok

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Alison Beale, Tennessee House of Representatives, District 45