Jason Zachary

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Jason Zachary
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 14th district
Assumed office
August 24, 2015
Preceded byRyan A. Haynes
Personal details
Born (1977-06-29) June 29, 1977 (age 46)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseHolly Zachary
ChildrenTyson[1]
EducationPellissippi State Community College
A.S.

Jason K. Zachary is an American politician. A

Tennessee State House of Representatives.[2]

Background

Jason Zachary was born on June 29, 1977, to his mother Pamela D. Zachary and father Richard K. Zachary and moved with his parents to Knoxville, Tennessee, at age 15 during 1992.[2] Richard Zachary is the CEO of Americomm, Inc. and founded this business during 1994.[3] Americomm, Inc. was first registered with the Tennessee Secretary of State as a For-profit Corporation - Domestic on April 1, 2014.[4]

Zachary graduated from Farragut High School and later completed an associate degree in Marketing during 1996 from Pellissippi State Community College at Hardin Valley, Tennessee, located in the northwest section of Knox County, Tennessee. Zachary briefly attended the University of Tennessee sports management program but did not complete the requirements for a degree.[2][5]

Zachary married to wife Holly during 2000 and acquired an ownership interest in his father's Americomm, Inc. business during that same year.

Zachary has been the Vice President of Agent Sales at Americomm since 1999,[6] and was also on the board of directors for the 501(c)(3) non-profit International Sports Consulting, Inc. of Knoxville, Tennessee[2][7][8]

Zachary and his wife have one son, Tyson.[1]

Zachary is a Southern Baptist and a member at First Baptist Church Concord megachurch in Knoxville where he reportedly serves as a deacon and steward on the finance committee overseeing a $9 million budget.[6] Zachary also serves on the board of the Western Heights Baptist Center.

Political career

Zachary was first elected to the

Tennessee State House of Representatives on August 12, 2015.[6] He was sworn in on August 24.[9] He is a House member of the 109th through 111th General Assemblies.[2]

2013 and 2014 (federal candidate)

Zachary files Form 2 Statement of candidacy as a federal primary candidate in the 2014 Tennessee Republican Primary with the Federal Election Commission (March 11, 2013).

Zachary reportedly became a partner of the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship in 2014.[6]

Zachary launches his campaign web site announcing his candidacy within the 2014 Tennessee Republican Primary, challenging long-serving incumbent John J. "Jimmy" Duncan, Jr. for election to the represent the Tennessee 2nd House District office within the U.S. House of Representatives.

On his 2013-2014 Jason Zachary for Congress campaign web site, Zachary claimed that God had communicated to him, stating that he began to "feel the Lord calling him to serve his country in 2011" with his brand of "

Christ inspired leadership". Zachary lost the 2014 federal primary election as a federal candidate to incumbent U.S. Representative Jimmy Duncan.[10][11]

2015 (state candidate)

After former TNGA Representative Ryan A. Haynes resigned May 27, 2015, to serve as the Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, Zachary and Knox County school board member Karen Carson sought to fill the remaining one year left in the vacated term of Rep. Ryan A. Haynes in a special election that officials estimated cost Knox County taxpayers over $100,000. Only slightly more than 10 per cent of the registered voters in the west Knox County 14th Tennessee House District turned out to vote, with Zachary netting 2,397 of the ballots cast while Carson took 1,742 votes in the unofficial returns.[12]

The Associated Press news reports referred to Zachary as "outspoken opponent" of Tennessee Governor and Knoxville resident Bill Haslam’s own proposal for the State of Tennessee to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans.[13]

Immediately after the 2015 state election results were posted, Zachary also reportedly moved the goalposts of an earlier claim that he "began to feel the Lord [Jesus] calling him to serve his country in 2011" that Zachary made during his failed 2013-2014 election campaign efforts to defeat an incumbent congressman during the Republican Primary in Knox County and be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives by stating, "“People would say, ‘Did God really call you to run for Congress?’ And I can say tonight, yes, tonight validates, because if I had not done that, I would not be sitting here, the Republican nominee to be the state representative for this area.” [14]

Lacking any Democratic Party opponent during the 2015 general election, Jason Zachary was appointed as Representative by the Knox County Commission on August 24, 2015 to fill the District 14 House seat formerly held by Haynes. Zachary reportedly had his first oath of office staged inside his First Baptist Concord megachurch in Knoxville with then Tennessee House of Representatives Speaker Beth Harwell administering his oath of office.[15][16]

In 2023, Zachary supported a resolution to expel Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.[17]

Tenure

Zachary sponsored HB 563 which would protect businesses that refuse service to LGBTQ people.[18]

Zachary has supported defunding public education in favor of private schools.[19] Zachary's wife Holly is employed by the Concord Christian School in Knoxville.[20]

In September 2020, Zachary and

Glenn Jacobs and 'The Bed Store' owner Roger Cunningham created a video for the group Freedom Forward TN describing the Knoxville Board of Health - its membership made up of mostly public health and medical professionals - as part of the "sinister forces within" the United States attacking America. The Freedom Forward TN video was posted online with photo images of the members of the Knoxville Board of Health who later reportedly stated that they felt threatened by the content of the video.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ a b https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/blue_book/15-16/15-16BBLegislative.pdf "Tennessee Blue Book: 2015-2016".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Representatives - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  3. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20140109212729/http://jasonzacharyforcongress.com/about/ "About".
  4. ^ https://tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/FilingDetail.aspx?CN=008119186194025147162122241234187035170091098115 "Business Entity Detail" Tennessee Secretary of State.
  5. ^ https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/146213/jason-zachary "Jason Zachary's Biography". Vote Smart
  6. ^ a b c d "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  7. ^ https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/203961490/2016_07_EO%2F20-3961490_990EZ_201512 "International Sports Consulting Inc Knoxville, TN 37930-2487 Form 990-EZ for period ending December 2015" Retrieved May 28. 2020.
  8. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20140517000205/http://1040sports.com/ "Home". Retrieved May 28. 2021.
  9. ^ "Zachary sworn in as new TN state rep". WBIR-TV. August 24, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  10. ^ https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee%27s_2nd_Congressional_District_elections,_2014 "Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014". Ballotpedia.
  11. ^ https://twitter.com/JZOfficial/status/487308904481574913 "This year on August seventh say NO! to tired bureaucracy and say YES to fresh, Christ inspired leadership #takeyourseatback #JZForCongress 2:54 PM · Jul 10, 2014".
  12. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150905101753/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/politiknox/zachary-wins-gop-nomination-in-14th-district_22066362?autoplay=true "Zachary wins GOP nomination in 14th House District"
  13. ^ https://www.wjhl.com/news/jason-zachary-wins-tenn-house-district-14-special-election/ "Jason Zachary wins Tenn. House District 14 special election". WJHL TV.
  14. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150905101753/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/politiknox/zachary-wins-gop-nomination-in-14th-district_22066362?autoplay=true "Zachary wins GOP nomination in 14th House District". August 13, 2015, retrieved May 31, 2021."
  15. ^ https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/blue_book/15-16/15-16BBLegislative.pdf Tennessee Blue Book: 2015-2016.
  16. ^ http://www.screamsfromtheporch.com/2015/08/zachary-to-be-sworn-in-at-church.html "Zachary to be sworn in at church". Screams From The Porch, August 21, 2015.
  17. ^ Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  18. ^ "Tennessee lawmakers advance bill that LGBT advocacy groups say is part of a 'slate of hate'". CNN. 5 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Tennessee House approves program to use public money to fund private school education". 25 April 2019.
  20. ^ https://apps.tn.gov/conflict-app/view_form_8004.htm?name=ZACHARY&id=67566&f=134546&v=1 "Statement of Disclosure of Interests (ss-8004) - 2020 Jason Zachary".
  21. ^ https://www.wbir.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/i-apologize-if-that-was-divisive-mayor-glenn-jacobs-defends-controversial-video/51-d66762c0-d95f-4214-8e5f-2ff1edb13c54 "'I apologize if that was divisive' | Mayor Glenn Jacobs defends controversial video" WBIR-TV.
  22. ^ https://compassknox.com/2020/09/21/restrictions-under-fire/ "Restrictions Under Fire: The Knox County Board of Health is increasingly a target of conservative anger. County Commission is considering proposals that would change its power and make-up"
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