Tennessee Senate District 17
State Senate District 17; Tennessee
My vote power
Normal
Election date
August 6, 2026 · Primary election
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.
Representation: Normal · 65 out of 100
This district covers a large share of its state, so each vote carries about average weight — like a vote in a statewide race. About 226,475 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(7,066,383 ÷ 226,475) ÷ ln(50,000) = 65.9, measured against a statewide vote in TN (grades: 66+ high, 33+ normal, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Normal representation → My vote power: Normal.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
About this office
- Voting on how much you pay in state taxes
- Voting on how much money your local public schools get
- Voting on which roads and highways get built or repaired
Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,
Candidates
Democratic · declared
Joni Cochran is a mother, grandmother, businesswoman, community volunteer and podcaster who moved to Wilson County in 2002. She campaigns to preserve farmland, protect public schools and defend civil rights.
Records: Public Education Quality 1 for
Democratic · declared
Lindsey Patrick-Wright is a mom, librarian and longtime public servant who has spent 20 years serving communities across Tennessee through public libraries, helping families access education and opportunity. She lives in Wilson County and stands up for strong schools and affordability.
Records: Civil Rights 2 for
Republican · Incumbent · declared
Mark Pody is a Christian insurance professional from Lebanon holding CLU-CHFC and LUTCF-FICF designations, and attended Cumberland University. He is Vice-Chair of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee and serves on the Education and Judiciary committees.
Records: Civil Rights 2 for, 6 against, Anti-Corruption 2 for, Corporate Accountability 1 for, 1 against,
Republican · declared
Butch Baker campaigns on protecting the Constitution, improving education quality and safety in Tennessee schools, and building and maintaining high quality roads while increasing access to public transportation. He also emphasizes keeping taxes low and eliminating pointless state spending.
Sources: nashville.gov · sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com · wilsontnvotes.gov