Shanda Yates | |
---|---|
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 64th district | |
Assumed office January 7, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Bill Denny |
Personal details | |
Born | Shanda M. Yates March 29,1982 Jackson,Mississippi,U.S. |
Political party | Independent (since 2022) Democratic (until 2022) |
Children | 1 |
Residence(s) | Jackson,Mississippi,U.S. |
Alma mater | Hinds Community College (AA) University of Southern Mississippi,(BA) Mississippi College School of Law,(JD) |
Occupation | Politician,attorney |
Shanda M. Yates (born March 29,1982) is an American politician,representing the 64th district in the Mississippi House of Representatives since 2020. She is an Independent.
Yates was born on March 29,1982,in Jackson,Mississippi. [1] She graduated from Hinds Community College in 2001 with an associate degree and then enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi,graduating with honors and a bachelor's degree in English. [1] [2] She received her Juris Doctor from the Mississippi College School of Law in 2007,where she also served as an editor for the Mississippi College Law Review. [2] [3] She was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2007. [4]
Yates practices as a partner with her husband as an attorney. [3]
In February 2019,Mississippi Democratic House Minority Leader David Baria asked Yates if she wished to run against Bill Denny in the Mississippi House,a 32-year house incumbent of the 64th district and House Republican Floor Leader. [5] [6] She decided to run after initial reluctance,and over the months that followed,Yates and her campaign knocked on around 10,000 doors. [5] Her campaign received assistance from national organizations like California-based Sister District,an organization that targets GOP-held seats. [5] She proceeded through the Democratic Primary unopposed and,in the general election,won against Denny by 168 votes,a 51%–49% margin. [6] [7] She assumed office on January 7,2020. [7]
As of 2021,she serves on the following committees:Compilation,Revision and Publication;Corrections;Insurance;Judiciary B;Judiciary En Banc;and Transportation. [1] Since 2020,she has served as Deputy Chair for the Mississippi House Democrat caucus leadership. [8]
In January 2022,she left the Democratic Party and became an Independent. [9]
Yate's top priorities when running for election were increasing school funding and addressing infrastructure problems. [10]
In 2020,Yates voted yes on the bill to change the Mississippi State Flag. [11]
Yates is married to Yancy Burns,and they have one child. [1] [10] She and her husband are Methodist. [1]
Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren is an American politician and lawyer serving as a U.S. representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party,Lofgren is in her 15th term in Congress,having been first elected in 1994. Lofgren has long served on the House Judiciary Committee,and chaired the House Administration Committee in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
Janice Schakowsky is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 9th congressional district since 1999,and previous served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1991–1998). She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Sheila Jackson Lee was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district,from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of the Democratic Party and served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council before being elected to the House. She was also co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation.
In U.S. politics,an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party or is denied the Democratic nomination in a caucus or primary election. Independent Democrat is not a political party. Several elected officials,including members of Congress,have identified as independent Democrats.
Cindy Hyde-Smith is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Mississippi since 2018. A member of the Republican Party,she was previously the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce and a member of the Mississippi State Senate.
Cherrish Pryor is an American politician from Indianapolis,Indiana. She is a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives,representing the 94th District since 2008. She has served as the Democratic Floor Leader since 2018. The first African American to hold the leadership position. She is also Treasurer for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. A role she has held since 2021 and was recently re-elected to serve another two year term which will end in 2025.
Katherine Marlea Clark is an American lawyer and politician who has served as House Minority Whip since 2023 and the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013. She previously served as Assistant Speaker from 2021 to 2023 and Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2019 to 2021. Clark was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011 and the Massachusetts Senate from 2011 to 2013.
Madeleine Dean Cunnane is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district. The district includes almost all of Montgomery County,a suburban county north of Philadelphia,as well as a northeastern portion of Berks County. Before being elected to Congress,Dean was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly,representing the 153rd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Lora H. Reinbold is an American politician who was a member of the Alaska Senate. She was a member of the Alaska House from 2013 to 2019,representing District 26. In 2018,Reinbold was elected to the Alaska State Senate representing the G district. She served in the State Senate from 2019 until retiring in 2023. From 2015 to the end of her tenure,Reinbold was the only member of the Alaska State Legislature unaffiliated with a caucus organization,as she was ejected from the Republican-led majority caucus in March 2015.
William C. Denny Jr. is an American politician and former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was the floor leader of the Republicans in the house when in office.
Melanie Sojourner is an American politician from the state of Mississippi. She served in the Mississippi State Senate,representing the 37th district. She is a member of the Republican Party.
Cecil C. Brown is an American politician. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 66th District,from 1999 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Ashley Henley was an American teacher and politician from Southaven,Mississippi,who served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 40th district from 2016 to 2020. She was a member of the Republican Party.
Barbara Anita Blackmon is an American lawyer and politician who served in the Mississippi State Senate,representing the 21st district from 1992 to 2004 and from 2016 to 2024. She was also the Democratic Party's nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2003,losing to Amy Tuck.
Hester Jackson-McCray is an American politician in the state of Mississippi. A member of the Democratic Party,she is the representative for District 40 of the Mississippi House of Representatives,defeating incumbent Ashley Henley.
Juanita Sandra Bartlett is an American politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 32 since 2019.
Taylor Brantley McNeel is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
Ayshia K. M. Pittman is a Seminole-American politician who currently serves as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 99th district as a member of the Democratic Party. She is the third Seminole to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Joseph C. Thomas,Sr. is an American politician,serving in the Mississippi Senate from the 21st district from 2004 to 2008 and from the 22nd district since 2020.
The 2020–2024 Mississippi Legislature was composed of the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives.