Owen Farnsworth

Owen Farnsworth earned a high school diploma from Blackman High School.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have lived in Murfreesboro, TN since I was 14 years old. I went to Blackman High School; attended classes at MTSU; and currently work at Lowe's. I first got interested in politics in high school while Trump was in his first term. Looking at anything in today's society, you can see that things need to change. If no one else was going to fight for people like me, those who work hard to pay bills and have nobody besides themselves in their corner, then I had only one choice: get out and fight for a better Tennessee. This isn't just about going back to how things were before Trump. We have to build something new, that's better and stronger than before. That's the only way we can make it work for the people instead of for corporations and billionaires. Trump isn't a backlash to a perfect society, he and his movement are a symptom of decades of working and middle class Americans being left behind. We need real change, and we will build a better, stronger, Tennessee that fights for us.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Families. We need to support our working families first. We need Universal pre-k to bring our education to a higher standard than anywhere else in the country; guaranteed paid maternal AND paternal leave so that our families can stay together instead of struggling with a newborn while worrying about work; and family planning and abortion protections to stop punishing women for trying to have a family. We cannot move on in our community if we do not support the people creating and moving our world.Affordability. Many Tennesseans cannot afford to live, this is unacceptable in the richest nation in the world. We need Universal Healthcare through the expansion of TennCare; eliminate the grocery tax in favor of taxing big corporations and billionaires who currently pay 0% (that's no contribution to our communities whatsoever); increase direct homeowners assistance programs and affordable housing programs; raise the minimum wage to at least $25/hr; and expand Tennessee's social safety nets and small-business opportunities to give our citizens the greatest chance to make something for themselves.Roads. Tennessee is plagued with Traffic, especially here in Murfreesboro where it can take as much time to drive from one side of Murfreesboro to the other side as it does to drive from Murfreesboro to Nashville. We need an expansion of public transportation and passenger train lines, sidewalks on all state owned roads, programs to encourage cities to build better road infrastructure like frontage roads and traffic circles, and fix our awful pothole problems.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about road infrastructure; public transportation such as planes, trains and busses; and walkability. I could talk forever about infrastructure, so I will leave it at that and spare you my all-too passionate public transportation speech.

We are going to work hard to make sure families have a fighting chance and securing abortion rights in Tennessee; I would love to start a family one day with my partner, but would never be willing to put her life at risk when we criminalize those who suffer pregnancy losses, nor can I afford to start a family so long as State Lawmakers punish families by denying them adequate access to daycare, healthcare, education, and time off work to spend time together.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Planned Parenthood; The Tennessee Report