Primary Election Date: 08/05/2010
General Election Date: 11/02/2010

Who Am I?

Chris D. Jackson (born November 22, 1986) is a county commissioner who represents the second district in Lawrence County. Elected in August 2006 at the age of 19, Jackson is the youngest person ever elected to public office in Lawrence County.

The son of Roger and Judy Jackson, he has lived in Loretto, Tennessee all of his life. He attended South Lawrence School is a graduate from Loretto High School. He is currently a senior at the University of North Alabama where he is majoring in political science and government and minoring in criminal justice.

Although young, Jackson has much political experience. In 2002, He
volunteered for the Phil Bredesen's gubernatorial campaign, and in 2004
for the re-election campaign for Congressman Lincoln Davis and the Kerry
- Edwards presidential campaign. That same year, Jackson was the chief
campaign assistant to the state house candidate in his district.

During the 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Tennessee, Jackson did online grassroots blogging in support of Congressman Harold Ford Jr. and his bid for the United States Senate and served as Ford's campaign chairman in Lawrence County.

In 2005, Jackson was unanimously voted the Vice Chairman of the Lawrence County Democratic Party. He was re-elected to the same position in 2007.

In early 2006, Jackson officially announced that he would seek the office of County Commissioner in the Second District of Lawrence County. The seat was being vacated by a retiring incumbent of over 30 years.

Although Jackson had competition at some point during the election, he ended up running unopposed in the August election, due in large part to his early and aggressive campaigning and fundraising. On election day, Jackson received 401 complimentary votes, which was one of the highest amounts of any commissioner in the county.

Jackson's election made him the youngest elected official in Lawrence County history. He is currently one of the youngest elected officials in the country.

Since taking office in September 2006, Jackson has been a leader on many of the big issues that face Lawrence Countians. For instance, he has been an instrumental player in addressing the jail problem that has faced Lawrence County for years. He was an early advocate for a temporary jail facility, which allowed the county to bring back all inmates which were being housed out of county and costing the taxpayers thousands of dollars every month. Further, he has been an advocate for establishing local faith based initiatives to help address root problems of crime in the community.

Jackson has also made education a top priority for the county. Upon taking office, Jackson worked with education leaders in both the public and private sector and helped craft a plan that provided Lawrence County schools with a major overhaul to existing technology. In 2008, Jackson was a leader in the movement to remove harmful, mold-filled portable classrooms from the county.

The issue of energy efficiency has been a major focus for the county commission under Jackson's leadership. Jackson sponsored and passed legislation that required all county buildings to have energy efficiency lighting. Recently, Jackson made sure that the issue would be at the forefront of county government for years to come when he sponsored and passed legislation which created the county Energy Efficiency Committee. The new committee, chaired by Jackson, is compromised of some of Lawrence County's best and brightest citizens and has an established goal of saving the county tax dollars by making the county more energy friendly.

Commissioner Jackson has also focused on other important issues such as ensuring fairness in the tax code, making the county commission more accountable, running water line extensions, addressing illegal immigration and ensuring citizens' safety and security by investing in and supporting law enforcement and emergency management services.

He is a member of the People for the American Way's Young Elected Officials Network and describes himself as a progressive moderate, aligning many of his views with those of the Democratic Leadership Council.

Jackson resides in Loretto where he serves as the vice president of the local Lions Club.

Why Am I Running?

The reason I am running for this office is simple: we can do better. In a time in which people are struggling just to get by, the 70th District needs real leadership in Nashville. We need leaders who are not afraid to take on the big issues that affect people's everyday lives.

I come from a modest background and I can relate to regular Tennesseans and their problems. My mother and sister both have M.S. so I am dedicated to ensuring that all Tennesseans have access to affordable and quality health care. I want to fight to make sure no family has to watch a loved one suffer from not having the treatments they need.

Further, I am committed to making sure that we are providing our children with the tools they need to compete and thrive in the 21st Century. This means investing in education at all levels.

Finally, I feel that the current economic crisis provides us with a real opportunity to get things done. If we are serious about fixing our economy and providing Tennesseans with a top notch quality of life, we must make sure we create and foster a 21st Century business community and workforce that will provide good paying jobs for my district and state for years to come.

I am committed to making the future better for everyone!

Hold Me Accountable!

1) Provide affordable and quality health care for everyone. It is time we get serious about this issue. In order to do so, we need real leaders who will make tough decisions.

2) Create a 21st Century business community and workforce. We need to change how we do business in Tennessee. It is time we invest in 21st Century areas like green collar jobs so Tennesseans will have good paying jobs for years to come.

3) Invest in local education systems. The people on the local level know their respective school systems better than anyone, that is why I support giving them more discretion of funds that come to them. We need to improve both learning in the classrooms as well as the bricks and mortar aspect of our schools.

My DFA values:

I am indeed a progressive at heart. I am a strong supporter of universal health care, public schools, building an energy efficient future and ensuring we have a 21st Century business community and workforce. I have dealt with these issues on the local level and have the knowledge and energy to fight for them in Nashville!

I am fiscally responsible because I am forward looking when making decisions. I think many leaders often make short sighted decisions which cost us big in the long run. I am for sensible solutions which benefit us both short term and long term financially.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

A big role! My opponent has $48k on hand as we speak so I have to be innovative. With that being said, I plan to run an aggressive online campaign to advance my cause. While my opponent may have the support of big donors, I am confident that the people will always out-do the powerful.