Backus announces House District 33 bid
Ann Backus
Backus, a retired project manager who worked 33 years at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, recently announced that she will be a candidate for state representative in the district that serves most of Anderson County.
“We gained experience in our last campaign for state representative in 2024, and I am ready to meet voters across the district, listen to their concerns, and take their voice to Nashville,” she said.
“I am running for state representative for the same reason I ran two years ago – because I believe our government needs to refocus its priorities and truly serve the people,” Backus said. “As your state representative, I will bring the people back to the people’s house.”
After Backus earned her degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University, she came to Anderson County and began working at Y-12. Her work experience gave her skills that will serve her well in her campaign.
“My experience as a project manager gave me the skills to work with groups of diverse people to achieve a goal on time and under budget,” she said.
“I listened to different solutions and came up with a compromise that would be the best solution for the team.”
While working at Y-12, Backus raised three daughters, supporting them as a Girl Scout leader, band mom, classroom volunteer, and Sunday School teacher.
Since she retired in 2014, she has become the grandmother of two boys.
Backus grew up with a deep sense of community, instilled by her parents. A teacher and a chemical engineer, they were active community volunteers, using their resources, voices, and energy to advocate for and assist others in the community.
She is following in their footsteps, giving back to her community. She is a volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Tennessee Heartland, advocating for abused and neglected children in Anderson County Juvenile Court.
As a CASA volunteer, she provides a voice for a child, representing the child’s best interest and advocating for a safe, permanent home for the child.
Though challenging, she believes this volunteer effort is her most rewarding and impactful work.
“Through my CASA volunteer work in Juvenile Court, I have seen the difference that resources and family support can make in a child’s life,” Backus said.
Since her retirement, she also enjoys tutoring young people in math and working with youth in her church.
“My tutoring and working with youth have shown me how important education is in a young person’s life, whether they choose to go to college or enter a trade. Students need a good foundation in math and reading,” Backus said. “I love looking at the world through young people’s eyes and seeing the possibilities for our community and our future.”
Backus is also involved in social advocacy in Anderson County as the founder and co-chair of PFLAG’s Oak Ridge Chapter and as a member of the Oak Ridge-Anderson County NAACP.
Backus said she is ready to serve the people as an advocate for their concerns as state representative. As she listens to people, among concerns she is hearing are support for public schools, access to affordable healthcare, as well as affordability and safety in their everyday lives.
Backus, a Democrat, will be on the 2026 ballot in the Aug. 6 primary and in the Nov. 3 general election.
For more information, see her campaign website at backusfortn33.com/.
