SO, YOU WANT TO BE A POLITICIAN?Welcome and thank you for stepping up. Running for office is both professionally and personally rewarding and is a tremendous gift to your community. Take the first step by being informed with our guide to what is involved in running for office from local to national positions.

Running for Office FAQs

What is the Time Commitment in Running for Office?

Although it can vary depending on what position you are running for, generally you will need to be able to commit to one full weekend day and one week night per week for canvassing plus several hours for “call time” weekly, one hour for meeting with your team and other time as needed.

Building your campaign: 1-2 months

Mid campaign (run events, attend community events, start canvassing): 2-3 months

Full speed campaign (canvassing, send printed materials): 1-2 months

Do I Need to Build My Own Team in Order to Run for Office?

The short answer is yes, unless you want to do it all yourself (which we don’t recommend). Montgomery County Democratic Party can assist you by recruiting volunteers to help you canvass or run an event, but you will need to look within your own network or recruit people in the following positions to run a smooth campaign:

Treasurer (handles financial records and reporting)
Fundraising Manager (coordinates your fundraising calls, events, emails, texts etc)
Field Manager (runs your field campaign which includes canvassing voters)
Treasurer (handles financial records and reporting)

Can I Run for Office with No Experience?

Yes! Your life is your experience! If you are progressive and want to help your community, we want to help you succeed in running for office.

Plus, look at the current people in some of the highest offices in the land! Many of them lack experience, and they didn’t let that prevent them from accepting important government jobs. If you are willing to put in the work and learn, we will train you and connect you with the right people to run a successful campaign.

How Much Does it Cost to Run for Office?

If you get set up with a good fundraising strategy from day one, you may not have to use any of your own financial resources to run your campaign. This is why we recommend hiring a Fundraising Manager as soon as possible to help you bring in donations to cover the cost of:

Paying team member salaries
Event expenses
Advertising
Office expenses

Candidates have run “shoe string budget” campaigns and come out ahead of very well financed opponents. It all depends how you use what you have.

Do Elected Politicians Make a Salary??

Montgomery County, TN Positions Up for Election in 2026

· US Senator
· US Representative
· Governor
· State Representative (districts 67, 68, 75)
· Chancellor, 19th District
· County Mayor
· Trustee
· Sheriff

· Circuit Court Clerk
· County Clerk
· Register of Deeds
· County Commissioner (districts 1 -21)
· School Board (districts 1, 3, 5, 7)
· City Mayor
· City Council (wards 1, 3, 6, 7, 10)

US Senator Responsibilities, and Qualifications

A US Senator’s primary duty is to represent the state of Tennessee in the legislative branch of the federal government. They serve as a voice for their constituents by crafting and voting on federal laws. Senators also play a crucial role in the executive branch, offering advice and consent on presidential appointments and treaty ratification.

US Senator annual salary: $174,000
Term: 6 years
Qualifications: must be at least 30 years old, a US citizen for nine years and be a resident in the state they represent at the time of the election.

The position is currently held by Bill Haggerty (Republican). He has a BA in economics and business administration from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School. His prior career was as a “businessman” in private equity. He served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development before being nominated by President Trump to serve as the Ambassador to Japan. He resigned that position in 2019 in order to run for the open senate seat.

US Representative Responsibilities, and Qualifications

U.S. Representatives, also known as Congressmen or Congresswomen, represent specific congressional districts in the House of Representatives. Their primary duties include creating, debating, and voting on legislation, which can either make new laws or modify existing ones. Representatives also serve on committees, introduce bills and resolutions, and offer amendments.

Salary: $174,000 annually.
Term 4 years.
Qualifications: must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the state you wish to represent.

The US Representative most recently covering Montgomery County (Congressional district 7) is Mark Green (Republican). He served in the US Army and his professional qualifications include a bachelor’s in quantitative business management from West Point. He was formerly the president of Emergency Services Network and CEO of Align MD Foundation. He served a term as the Tennessee Senator for district 22 before running for congress in 2019. He stepped down from his congressional seat in July of 2025.

Governor Responsibilities, and Qualifications

The Governor of Tennessee is the head of state government. They command the state’s military forces, make various appointments including judicial ones, chair the Tennessee Board of Regents, and The University of Tennessee Board of Regents as well as holding seats on various boards. Governors have the power to veto laws passed by the general assembly and they may use line item veto on individual spending items included in bills passed by legislature. They may also call a special session of the General Assembly as long as the particulars are included in the proclamation for the special session.

Salary:$204,336
Term: 4 years per term.
Individuals are eligible to be elected for two consecutive terms but are not eligible to run for a third term unless they have taken a break between four year terms.
Qualifications: Candidates for governor of Tennessee must be at least 30 years old, be a citizen of the United States, and a Tennessee resident for at least seven years before the election. Additionally, they cannot hold any other public office during their time as governor.

Tennessee’s current governor, William “Bill” Byron Lee, a Republican who has served as governor since 2019. He was born in Franklin, Tennessee, attended Auburn University and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. After college he served as CEO of Lee Company, his family’s home services and construction company. He has served as a trustee on the board of Belmont University, chairman of YMCA of Middle Tennessee, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and president of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and been a board member of the Hope Clinic for Women and the Men of Valor Prison Ministry.

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Contact Information

2197 Madison St Ste 104, Clarksville, TN 37043

officers@mctndp.org

+1 (931) 919-4844

Running for Office FAQs

Candidate Interest Form

Montgomery County, TN Positions Up for Election in 2026

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