John Ray Clemmons

In 2014, Clemmons defeated incumbent Gary Odom, for the 55th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives in the Democratic primary with 54% of the vote.^[6] Clemmons was unopposed in the general election.^[7] Clemmons was unopposed in for re-election in the primary and general elections in 2016, 2018, and 2020.^[7]

In a 10-candidate race, Clemmons finished fourth in his run for mayor of Nashville in the 2019 Nashville mayoral election.^[8][9][10] His campaign focused on public education, affordable housing and infrastructure.^[11]

In 2022, Clemmons was rated 92% by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.^[12]

In January 2022, Clemmons criticized the McMinn County school board's 10-0 decision to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust novel Maus from its curriculum for eighth-grade English classes. Clemmons called the decision counterproductive, saying that without access to the personal accounts of survivors of the Holocaust, children will lose empathy for others.^[13][14]

• Legislative website
• Sam Zern (February 3, 2019). "Q&A with John Clemmons, the state representative challenging David Briley for Nashville mayor," Vanderbilt Hustler
• Tommy Crouse (July 31, 2019). "Meet the mayoral candidates: Rep. John Ray Clemmons; Clemmons promises transit referendum," News Channel 5, Nashville.