Colonel Jim Harding

Jim Harding is a fiscally and socially conservative small business owner. He is genuinely concerned about the future direction of our state and our country and is anxious to act to change that course.

He proudly served this great country for 23 years in the United States Air Force. He learned leadership and management by attending numerous schools and courses, by serving in various command and staff positions and in the demanding crucible of three and a half years of ground and air combat in Southeast Asia. There, mistakes could mean mission failure and lives lost. Now, he offers himself, with his tested and proven leadership experience, as your public servant. He is confident that he can bring common sense ideas for improving educational opportunities, creating jobs and making our communities safer, straight from the people of district 27, to the Tennessee Legislature.

As a devout Christian, he enjoys his freedom to worship, and speak publicly about the faith and principles on which this incredible country was founded. He is a defender of all our freedoms, including the right to life and the right to own and bear arms, and will fight to maintain those freedoms through limited government, traditional values and a return to the core philosophy of conservatism.

He believes a proper education for everyone is fundamental in the change we desire in Tennessee. He has 24 years of high school and college classroom teaching experience, and 20 more years as an Air Force flight and classroom instructor. Following retirement, He built programs to educate our younger generations in integrity, courage, competence, tenacity, patriotism, service, discipline, self esteem, personal responsibility, national defense, military history, science and geography. He taught students how to read and study to learn, and write to inform. In the Air Force, he taught students how to lead and how to fly. He knows from experience how important the right education is for those trying to qualify for higher paying jobs and leadership positions. We must make innovative education a top priority if we expect to ensure Tennessee is a leader. Together, we can continue to instill these progressive ideals into future generations to better prepare them for the work place, community leadership and family development. He believes there are workable solutions available that will enhance our children’s
learning achievements and test scores without creating a hardship for taxpayers. He would like to see Tennessee schools return to emphasizing academics rather than attitudes and social agendas. State laws should allow parents the freedom to choose whether their children will attend a public or private school of their choice, or be home schooled. It is his goal to see all Tennessee schools once again establishing the standard for education, not measuring up to it.

He is proud to be a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Officers of America, and 9 more national service organizations, and an enthusiastic volunteer in his community. He stands ready to continue the battle for our freedoms in Nashville, using a fiscally responsible approach to spending, better tax incentives for small businesses and accountability of our government to the people for which it serves.

Jim Harding believes it is important for the well being of Tennessee citizens to have safe communities. Safe communities will help attract industry and businesses that provide good, permanent jobs. Truancy often leads to juvenile crime, and well monitored schools can lower truancy. He believes the Tennessee judicial system should enforce sentences and eliminate parole for violent criminals and illegal aliens. He also believes communities can help law enforcement by organizing neighborhood watch programs and reporting criminal activity. Harding believes another motivation for industry to relocate into Tennessee is favorable tax incentives. He will vote against a state income tax and other tax measures that hold back growth. He will promote ways to decrease government spending to ease the tax burden on individuals and businesses. He will support measures to help existing industries and businesses grow and convince new industries to move into Tennessee. Jim Harding will fight for your right to make your own health care decisions. He will vote against any mandatory government sponsored health care insurance program. He will work diligently to make sure any government sponsored health care will be provided only for those lawfully residing in the United States. He will further use his influence to make certain only authorized residents will reap the benefits of any other government sponsored benefits.

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." ~ Samuel Adams 1776