Republican state Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes is among a GOP supermajority that is passing legislation far to the right of where it should be.
Hamilton County needs new representation in the state legislature that addresses issues in housing, education and the broader economy. While Helton-Haynes does break from her Republican colleagues on certain positions, especially abortion, we need someone pushing harder on this issue.
The Chattanooga Times endorses the Democratic challenger, Heather McClendon, to represent state House District 30.
McClendon, a school psychologist, stands out when it comes to advocating for more funding in public education.
“We don’t have the funding that we need to make sure that we reach all students,” McClendon said in an interview with the Times Free Press editorial board. “We don’t have the funding to talk about vouchers. We can’t give the money away to private schools when we don’t have enough for the public school system.”