Margaret Price
DemocraticQ1 Data centers and the TVA grid (Energy / AI / Environment) – Data center electricity use in the Tennessee Valley has grown roughly sevenfold since 2020, and in the Memphis area, gas turbines powering AI data centers have raised air-quality concerns. What specific policies, if any, would you support to protect Tennesseans’ electricity bills, grid reliability, and air quality as data centers expand?
Tennesseans shouldn’t have to pay higher electric bills or see a decline in their health or the health of their environment at the hands of large tech companies. I support a moratorium on new data centers until we have strong protections for our electricity bills, grid reliability, and public health. If these facilities eventually move forward, they must pay their own way, not pass the costs on to working families, and must be self sufficient when it comes to new and emerging technologies that help preserve the environment. We need strict safeguards, investment in renewable energy/ emerging tech, and accountability.I believe real progress will never come at the expense of our environment or our communities.
Q2 Childhood vaccination (Public Health / Trust in Science) – According to the Tennessee Department of Health, roughly 80% of Tennessee counties fall below the 95% kindergarten vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles. What policies, if any, would you support to manage vaccine-preventable diseases in Tennessee?
As a mom to a 4 year old, protecting our kids’ health is personal. I support making childhood vaccines more accessible, investing in trusted public-health education, and strengthening outbreak prevention while preserving evidence-based school vaccination requirements and medical exemptions. Every parent deserves reliable information, every child deserves a healthy start, and every community deserves the peace of mind that comes with keeping each other safe- armed with the right information, autonomy in health is a strength, and I believe our children’s lives shouldn’t be a place to fight politics over.
Q3 Flooding and extreme-weather resilience (Environment / Climate) – Two years after Tropical Storm Helene, East Tennessee communities are still rebuilding, and a 2026 winter storm left hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans without power. What specific steps, if any, would you take to prepare Tennessee’s communities, infrastructure, and power grid for severe weather?
I support real investment in our infrastructure and the future of our infrastructure. That includes burying power lines, modernizing our grid, expanding renewable energy, and improving emergency preparedness communication and strategy. We also have to take care of our local response teams and resources, ensuring that disaster plans are tested and practiced with frequency.
Q5 State Science Education (K-12 Science Education) Secondary science (biology, chemistry, and physics) is one of the subject areas where Tennessee schools most often face teacher vacancies or rely on teachers with emergency credentials, and Tennessee lost a larger share of its teachers between 2023 and 2025 than any other state. What specific state policies, if any, would you support to recruit and keep qualified science teachers in Tennessee classrooms, particularly in rural and high-need districts?
Having taught English abroad for four years and worked with Japan’s education department, I’ve seen how much our teachers matter to a student’s future. I support competitive teacher pay, targeted incentives for science teachers in rural and high-need districts, and stronger mentorship and classroom resources to help educators stay. I also support revoking the voucher program in order to better invest in our public schools and education systems, including in order to better fund the above.
Q6 Trust in science (Policymaking Process / Trust in Science) – Distrust in science has been on the rise among the general public and policymakers, which has been associated with changes in federal funding for scientific research. In order to bridge this gap, how do you think scientists and policymakers can work together to strengthen their communication?
Investing in our future means investing in science, and we aren’t all experts in everything. As a community, we need to listen to experts in a variety of fields. Science should help every family understand the world around them, and should help them make informed decisions about their future. I support bringing scientists, teachers, and policymakers together to share research in plain language, invest in science education, and protect funding for discoveries that improve our lives.