Rick Eldridge

Rick Eldridge (born July 12, 1957) is an American politician. He is a Republican representing Tennessee's 10th House District, which solely encompasses the Western portion of Hamblen County and Grainger County, in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Rick Eldridge
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 10th district
Assumed office
January 8, 2019[1]
Preceded byTilman Goins
Personal details
Born (1957-07-12) July 12, 1957[2]
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceMorristown, Tennessee[3]

Political career

Eldridge served as a Hamblen County commissioner for eight years, including two terms as chairman.[4]

In 2018, Eldridge ran for election to the District 10 seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, which was being vacated by Tilman Goins.[5] He defeated Tommy Pedigo in the Republican primary, and Democrat Barbara Simmons in the general election.[1]

In 2020, Eldridge ran unopposed in both the Republican primary and general election, being re-elected on November 3, 2020 with 17,133 votes.[1]

In August 2021, Eldridge joined all the state house Republicans in signing a letter to call for a special session to take action against schools requiring masks.[6] Governor Bill Lee issued an executive order allowing parents to opt students out of school mask mandates instead of calling the special session.[7] In October 2021, Eldridge voted in favor of a bill allowing partisan elections for school boards, which have traditionally been nonpartisan in Tennessee.[8] In December 2021, Eldridge voiced his opposition to the state's new redistricting plan that would split Hamblen County in half with District 10 in the west and District 11 in the east. He stated he would vote no on the plan.[9]

In 2023, Eldridge supported a resolution to expel Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.[10]

Current committees

As of December 2021, Eldridge sits on the following committees:[2]

  • State Committee (Vice-Chair)
  • Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
  • Civil Justice Committee
  • Corrections Subcommittee
  • Naming, Designating, & Private Acts Committee
  • Covid-19 Committee of the Third Extraordinary Session

Electoral record
2018 Republican primary: Tennessee House of Representatives, District 10[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rick Eldridge 4,435 62.8%
Republican Tommy Pedigo 2,532 37.2%
2018 general election: Tennessee House of Representatives, District 10[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rick Eldridge 12,941 75.4%
Democratic Barbara Simmons 4,214 24.6%
2020 Republican primary: Tennessee House of Representatives, District 10[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rick Eldridge 3,967 100.0%
2020 general election: Tennessee House of Representatives, District 10[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rick Eldridge 17,156 100.0%

References
  1. "Rick Eldridge". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  2. "Representative Rick Eldridge". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  3. "Rick Eldridge's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  4. Hightower, Cliff (7 November 2018). "Hamblen County goes to the polls, backs Republican ticket". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  5. "Eldridge to run for State Rep". Citizen Tribune. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. Allison, Natalie (August 11, 2021). "All Tennessee House Republicans ask Gov. Bill Lee to call a special session as school mask debates intensify". Tennessean.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  7. Hightower, Cliff (August 17, 2021). "Lee issues order allowing parents to opt students out of school mask mandates". CitizenTribune.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  8. Hightower, Cliff (November 15, 2021). "Officials to consider primaries for school board election". CitizenTribune.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. Hightower, Cliff (December 29, 2021). "Eldridge: Redistricting plan would split Hamblen County". CitizenTribune.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  10. Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-07.


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