Beth Harwell

In July 2017 Beth Harwell announced that she was running for Governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election. On August 2, 2018, she lost the Republican primary.

Harwell supports legalizing medical cannabis in Tennessee. During the 2018 session of the Tennessee General Assembly, Speaker Harwell cast the tie-breaking vote in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee to advance legislation legalizing medical cannabis. During a GOP candidate debate, Harwell stated that she believed it would be "cruel to withhold that from someone who needs that help". Each of the other candidates said they opposed such legislation, making Harwell the only GOP candidate to support legalizing medical cannabis. On July 20, Harwell held a press conference in the State Capitol Building reinforcing her support of medical cannabis and debuting a new ad touting her support for it. In the press conference, Harwell stated that to her, the issue is a "dignity of life" issue.

Following 2018 TN Ready testing period, Speaker Harwell led the push to ensure that the state's teachers were not hurt by the botched testing and to investigate what went wrong. Harwell directed the House Government Operations Committee to hold additional hearings on the issue, and asked the State Comptroller of the Treasury to review the testing vendor, Questar.

Harwell supports tougher sentencing for dealers, more restrictions on prescriptions, and prioritizing rehab over prison sentences. As Speaker, Harwell created a task force in 2017 to hear from experts and those affected by the crisis. Among the task force's recommendations are adding more TBI agents, starting a pilot program of a recovery center in each grand division of the state, and modernizing pain-management curriculum for healthcare professionals. To read the full list of recommendations, follow this link. Some of these recommendations have already become law.

Harwell is a strong opponent of sanctuary cities in Tennessee, helping to pass a law in 2017 which banned sanctuary cities in the state. The law was passed during a debate in Middle Tennessee over a proposed ordinance in the Nashville Metro City Council which would have made the city a sanctuary city.

Harwell has served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives since the 107th General Assembly (2011-2012).

Harwell has ensured that Tennessee's budget has been balanced every year since she was elected speaker in 2011, something that the federal government hasn't done in years.

In 2009, Harwell led the push for landmark charter school legislation, allowing more Tennessee students to enroll in charter schools. Additionally, she secured the passage of legislation that directed more funds to improve the training of day care workers.

In the 2008 presidential election, Harwell was the state co-chair for John McCain's presidential campaign. McCain won 56.9% of Tennessee's popular vote against Democrat Barack Obama. During the elections, the Republican Party gained control of both the Tennessee Senate and House for the first time since Reconstruction. In January 2009, Harwell was named chairwoman of the Commerce Committee. Following the 2010 elections, Harwell was elected in 2011 by her colleagues in the Tennessee House to serve as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, the first woman to be elected to that office.

Harwell explored a run for the 2006 U.S. Senate race; however she decided against seeking that seat. In May 2007 Harwell said that she was considering running in the 2010 state gubernatorial election.

During the 104th General Assembly (2005-2006), Harwell introduced legislative in the Tennessee House to impose limits to how much candidates for governor and the General Assembly could spend. In the 105th General Assembly (2007-2008), Harwell introduced legislation to ban donations to and campaigning for candidates for General Assembly from the Secretary of State, Comptroller of the Treasury, and State Treasurer, as the General Assembly elects those offices.

Harwell ran for office for the first time while she was teaching at Belmont University, running for the 56th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1986. While she lost that race, she ran again in 1988 and won. She has been representing her district ever since.

In 1978 Harwell received her Bachelor of Arts from Lipscomb University. She received a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. She is married to Samuel Harwell. The couple has three children.

Beth Halteman Harwell (born July 24, 1957, in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. She served as State Representative for Nashville and is a former Chair of the Tennessee Republican Party. First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1988, Harwell served as a Republican Minority Whip and Commerce Committee Chair before being elected to the Speakership. She is the first woman to serve as Tennessee's Speaker of the House. In 2017 she announced her candidacy for Governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election.