Bo Watson was born on October 21,1960,in Chattanooga,TN.[1] He is the son of Doris Juanita (Hoppe) and Foy W. Watson,Jr. He is married to Nicole (née Osborne) Watson,an attorney. He has one son,Grey Watson.
Watson attends First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga.
Career
Watson has been a practicing physical therapist for over 30 years and he is currently the Director of Sports Medicine and Therapy Services at HCA-Parkridge Medical Center in Chattanooga,Tennessee.
Political positions
Transgender rights
In December 2024,Watson expressed support for Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for minors and also said Tennessee would not rule out also banning it for adults in the future. However,he also said that banning gender-affirming care for adults may not currently be of interest to the Tennessee legislature.[3]
Immigrants' Rights
In February 2025,Watson co-sponsored a controversial bill that would allow local education authorities to deny educational access to undocumented children,directly challenging the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe,which guarantees access to public education to all children in the United States.[4] The bill faced significant criticism from immigrant rights advocates and legal experts,who warned that it would lead to the exclusion of vulnerable children from education.[5]
Election
Watson was first elected as a TN state senator in 2006 for the 105th Tennessee General Assembly,having previously served as a state representative during the 104th General Assembly. He represents the 11th district,which encompasses part of Hamilton County.[1] From July 2011 until January 2017,he was Speaker pro tempore in the Tennessee Senate.[6]
In 2018,Watson ran against Randall Price in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 11. On November 6,2018,Watson defeated Price in the election.[7]
In January 2017 Watson became chairman of the Senate Finance,Ways and Means Committee. He is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee,Chairman of the Joint Committee on Pensions and Insurance,member of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee,the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee and the Fiscal Review Committee.[1]
Watson is a past board member of the Baylor School Alumni Association and is a past member on the Baylor School Board of Trustees. He has been involved in the Junior Achievement program at Orchard Knob Elementary School and Habitat for Humanity. Watson is an American Heart Association Volunteer and a past board member of the Wesley Center at UTC. He is also a past board member of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and a past board member of the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association.[1]
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