Tennessee House of Representatives 97th district

Tennessee's 97th State House of Representatives district
Map of Tennessee House districts with the 97th District shaded
Representative	John Gillespie R – Memphis
Demographics	64%  White 15%  Black 15%  Hispanic 4%  Asian 1% Other 2%  Multiracial
Population (2023)	72,175 [1]

Tennessee House of Representatives 97th district is one of the 99 legislative districts in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The district lies in the middle of Shelby County, Tennessee, including parts of eastern Memphis and unincorporated communities nearby. ^{[2] [3]} The district is considered highly competitive in elections. ^{[4] [5]}

Demographics

• White 64%
• Black 15%
• Hispanic 15%
• Asian 4%
• Multiracial 2%
• Other 1%

Representative

Representative	Party	Years of Service	Hometown
John Gillespie	Republican	January 12, 2021 – present	Memphis

Elections

2024

2024 Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 general election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Gillespie (incumbent)	16,368	51.64%
	Democratic	Jesse Huseth	15,292	48.24%
	Write-in		39	0.12%
Total votes			31,699	100.00%
	Republican hold

2022

Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Gillespie (incumbent)	12,083	56.72%
	Democratic	Toniko Harris	9,219	43.28%
Total votes			21,302	100.00%
	Republican hold

2020

Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 General Election, 2020

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Gillespie	14,712	50.80%
	Democratic	Gabby Salinas	14,246	49.20%
Total votes			28,958	100.00%
	Republican hold

2018

General Election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Coley	12,386	54.93%
	Democratic	Allan Creasy	10,163	45.07%
Total votes			22,549	100.00%
	Republican hold

References

1. "Census profile: State House District 97, TN". Census Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
2. "Tennessee House of Representatives District 97". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
3. "Census profile: State House District 97, TN". Census Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
4. "Candidates in competitive District 97 House race deadlocked in TV spending • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
5. Friedman, Adam (April 8, 2024). "Visual analysis: The Tennessee House races potentially in play for either party in 2024 • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
6. "Election Results". app.enhancedvoting.com. Retrieved September 22, 2025.