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Renea Jones, a Unicoi County Republican, who is co-owner of Jones & Church Farm, hopes to become the 4th District Representative to the Tennessee General Assembly. As such, she would represent Unicoi County and most of Carter County in the Tennessee Legislature. 

But first, she must face Curt Alexander, Elizabethton mayor, in the primary election in August.

Both Jones and Alexander hope to win the seat currently held by State Rep. John Holsclaw, who chose not to seek re-election.

Jones says if elected she will take her conservative values to Nashville to serve the district. “This has been a dream of mine. My father taught me ‘if it’s important to you, use your voice.’”

Jones said her conservative values are grounded in faith, family, and freedom. “I believe in limited government, the sanctity of life, and the fundamental right to bear arms.” Coming from a farm family, Jones said she supports farmers. “They feed our families.” 

In addition to her work on the family farm, Jones has served on the Unicoi County School board and as president of the Tennessee School Board Association, providing her the opportunity to travel across the state. “The one thing I learned is that one shoe doesn’t fit all,” she said. “Every district is different, the needs are different, but the one goal is to provide a good education to all children,” she added.

She has also served as president of the Unicoi County Farm Bureau for 10 years.

“As a small business owner, I support limited government. Sometimes, business is over regulated. As state representative, I will be an advocate for small business owners, farmers, and educators. Helping existing businesses in the Fourth District to succeed and grow is an important objective,” Jones said. 

She said the state must work on economic growth and the “revitalization of our economy.’

 “I support local businesses and will look for new businesses to enhance what we already have.” Jones added, “We live in such a beautiful place – from the Nolichucky River to Roan Mountain, to the Watauga Lake, this is a great area to promote tourism. We are blessed to have such beautiful natural resources. The state must be good stewards of our land.”

Coming from a farm family, Jones went to school at North Carolina State and received a degree in agriculture. Jones’ father started the farming business, and she has worked on the farm for decades. Jones is not only a champion of agriculture, but she has been a supporter of local education. ”Education is so different depending on where you are in the state. As state representative I will support policies that educate students for the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow, “ she said.

Jones shared that she is a big supporter of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

“We are so blessed to have TCAT in this area,” said Jones, who added that she also has a goal of bringing a TCAT facility to Unicoi County. TCAT currently has a facility in Elizabethton, which Jones vowed to continue to support.

Jones urged continued support for the relatively new Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Center in Carter County and had nothing but praise for people in the community who supported it.

“We live in a great area. There is much opportunity to do more and to make life better for our citizens,” Jones said. She noted that she is 100 percent pro-life, is a second amendment supporter, and vowed to uphold “our constitutional, God-given rights.”

Jones is the mother of two grown children.

“If God wants me to win, I will. And, if I do, I will work hard for the citizens of Carter and Unicoi counties to make their lives better. I’m committed to that,” she said.