Heather McClendon is running as a Democratic candidate to represent District 30 in the Tennessee House of Representatives, according to a news release.
District 30 includes East Ridge, Ridgeside, Missionary Ridge, Westview and Hurricane Creek and parts of Alton Park, Glenwood, Apison, Dalewood, East Lake, East Brainerd, Brainerd, Brainerd Hills, Eastside, Concord, Silverdale and Ooltewah.
McClendon is running against incumbent Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Ridge, who has served in the role since November 2018. Members of the House serve two-year terms, and no term limit exists.
(READ MORE: Tennessee Rep. Helton-Haynes named 'Hospital Hero' for abortion law amendment)
A school psychologist and mother of three, McClendon said she decided to run after the passage of a state law requiring third graders meet certain requirements to progress to fourth grade led her to question the decision-making of legislators.
Research supporting the effectiveness of retention is lacking, particularly for older children beyond kindergarten or first grade, she said.
"I really started seeing that in many times, or many instances, our legislature is not necessarily going with what is proven to be the best answer or even what the constituents want," McClendon said by phone.
She said she feels the residents of District 30 want to see improvements in public education, public safety, medical rights and access to medical care.
As a cancer survivor, McClendon said she knows first-hand how a person's health insurance coverage can affect their access to quality health care and certain treatments.
"That really made me think about how we need to make sure that a person always has access to the medical care that they need to get better rather than the medical care that their insurance will allow," she said, adding that the issue extends to mental health care in addition to medical services.
McClendon's other goals as a state representative include building citizens' trust in the government and building relationships among government representatives.
"We need to be more transparent about the decisions that we make and how we arrived at those decisions," McClendon said. "We've seen our laws swing back and forth depending on who is holding the majority at the local, state and national level, and I would love to see us start to work together, whether we're Republican, Democrat or independent, so that we can make laws that benefit our communities rather than just our political party."
State candidates are subject to a primary election in August, but Helton-Haynes and McClendon are the only candidates from their parties. The general election is Nov. 5, and early voting runs from Oct. 16-31.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.