Election 2026: District 33 candidates answer five questions

October 14, 2026

Early voting Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins Wednesday, Oct. 14, and continues through Thursday, Oct. 29, in Anderson County and across Tennessee.

As part of The Courier News’ coverage of the race for Tennessee House District 33, Republican incumbent Rick Scarbrough and Democratic challenger Anne Backus were invited to answer five questions about their qualifications, legislative priorities and approaches to representing the district.

The questions address the candidates’ backgrounds, the issues they believe are most important to District 33 residents and how they would work with other lawmakers to advance legislation.

The Courier News asked both candidates the same four questions, with a fifth question tailored to each candidate.

The candidates’ responses are presented in their own words and have not been edited for content, grammar or length.

The following questions were submitted to the candidates:

1. Qualifications and Experience - What professional experience, public service or personal background has prepared you to represent the residents of House District 33?

2. Legislative Priorities - Identify three issues you would prioritize in the Tennessee General Assembly and explain how your proposed actions would benefit the residents of District 33.

3. District’s Most Pressing Issue - What do you believe is the most pressing issue facing the residents of House District 33, and what specific legislation or actions would you pursue to address it?

4. Bipartisanship and Cooperation - State lawmakers often must work with colleagues who hold different political views. How would you build relationships and work across party lines to advance legislation that benefits District 33?

5. Making the Case to Voters

For Rick Scarbrough: Why should voters re-elect you to represent House District 33, and what accomplishments from your time in office demonstrate your effectiveness as a legislator?

For Anne Backus: Why should voters elect you to represent House District 33, and what would you bring to the office that distinguishes you from the incumbent?

Rick Scarbrough (R)

Incumbent



Qualifications

and Experience

Even prior to running for office, I spent my career in public service focused on protecting Tennesseans. I worked for the Clinton Police Department for 23 years - 16 as Chief of Police. During my time, I served in leadership positions for the Tennessee Association of Chiefs and other leadership groups.  I was awarded the Police Chief of the Year for the State of Tennessee in 2014.  In 2018 I joined the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service as an Executive Director for the Law Enforcement Innovation Center and served until my retirement in September of 2026.  

Since being elected to represent the 33rd district in 2024, I have served on the Judiciary Committee, Criminal Justice Subcommittee, as well as the Insurance Committee and Subcommittee. 



Legislative priorities

The priorities I campaigned on in 2024 were safe communities, great schools, and high-paying jobs.  I believe that to be a great community, we need to excel in each of those areas.  They are central to our quality of life and the opportunities we provide for our young people.  While specific issues or opportunities may come and go, a relentless focus on keeping our community safe, our schools great, and recruiting high-paying jobs, Anderson County can remain one of the best places to live and raise a family in the country.

I’m proud of the work I’ve accomplished in those areas.  Safety, jobs, and schools, illegal immigration, public school funding, support for oak ridge corridor/nuclear renaissance epicenter



District’s most

pressing issue

Anderson County and the Oak Ridge Corridor is at the forefront of the nation’s coming nuclear renaissance. The opportunities for our community and nation are tremendous.  I have been asked to sponsor legislation to advance those opportunities, as well as leverage my relationships to attend and convene stakeholder meetings.  I will continue to remain ready to assist the Governor’s office, our local governments, and private sector investors to ensure Anderson County benefits from these efforts.



Bipartisanship

and cooperation

I have focused my efforts on safe communities, great schools, and high-paying jobs, and I found those are non-partisan efforts.  Everybody can usually agree that those are worthy goals, even if we disagree on specific paths to reach those goals.  If we treat each other with respect, and recognize that many others share those goals, we can disagree respectfully.  That provides the space to work together when we agree on ways to reach those goals.  I was proud that one of my pieces of legislation this year had strong bi-partisan support with 11 of 24 Democrats supporting it.



Making the case

to voters

When I ran in 2024, I promised to prioritize safe communities, strong schools, and job opportunities in Anderson County.  During my first two years, I sponsored multiple pieces of legislation that keep dangerous criminals behind bars.  For our schools, I have supported raising minimum teacher pay and record funding for public schools.  I’ve also passed and supported legislation to advance Anderson County and the Oak Ridge Corridor’s efforts to lead the nation’s nuclear renaissance.









Anne Backus (D)

Challenger



Qualifications

and Experience

As a Project/Program Manager at Y-12 for 33 years, I worked with diverse teams to achieve complex goals on time and within budget. This required listening to different perspectives, evaluating solutions, and finding compromises. That experience translates directly to public service and working across party lines.

While working, I supported my daughters as a Girl Scout leader, band mom, classroom volunteer, and Sunday school teacher. I continue to volunteer, supporting children and youth as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), through my youth advisory roles, and in my church.

My volunteer work has shown me firsthand where systems sometimes fail children and families. These experiences inform my positions and strengthen my resolve to work for structural changes that will improve the lives of Tennesseans.



Legislative Priorities

I would prioritize public education, affordable healthcare for all, and a society where all can earn a living wage and support their families.

As a strong advocate for public education, I oppose private school vouchers. Our tax dollars should only support public schools.

Healthcare should be affordable and accessible for everyone. We should use federal taxes we all pay to expand Medicare (TennCare).

We must improve maternal and infant healthcare outcomes by repealing restrictive laws in Tennessee and returning medical decisions to a patient, their physician, their family, and their faith. Women should not have to flee the state for life-saving maternal health care. Doctors should not face criminal charges for providing that care.

I believe in a living wage. To ease the affordability crisis, we must increase the minimum wage, and we should support unions. The legislature should remove the sales tax from groceries and offer incentives for affordable housing.



District’s most

pressing issue

Affordability is the most important issue. Families here are struggling with rising costs of groceries, housing, and other expenses.

Legislation I would push includes:

Eliminating the state sales tax on groceries for immediate relief.

Incentives for communities to build affordable housing, especially for those in the workforce with low and moderate incomes.

Regulations preventing large corporations from buying up housing. This removes lower price housing from the market and increases the price of remaining inventory.

Raising the minimum wage and supporting labor unions, to ensure working Tennesseans earn a living wage.



Bipartisonship

and cooperation

As a Democrat, I will advocate for policies that reflect our values while working to find common ground. Those policies include strong public schools, affordable healthcare for all, and a world where we can all support our families.

I would work across the aisle to focus on issues that Republicans could support. Examples include reopening of closed rural hospitals and preventing others from closing. I believe we can find areas of support for public schools and for some common sense gun safety legislation. By working across the aisle and focusing on practical solutions, we can develop legislation that benefits all Tennesseans.

Democrats face challenges with the Republican supermajority. I will fight to make our voices heard when Republicans propose outrageous and harmful laws. Introducing meaningful legislation ensures important issues are debated and that elected officials are held accountable.



Making the case

to voters

With my background as a working Mom, a project manager, and a community volunteer, I would bring a passion for solving problems, especially those that impact families, children, and our communities within District 33. As I have knocked on doors and listened to the concerns of voters, I have heard their worries about the rising costs of groceries, housing, gas, and child care, making it hard for them to make ends meet. The legislature has bypassed many opportunities to ease the affordability crisis, such as eliminating the sales tax on groceries.