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Mark Cochran

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Mark Cochran
Cochran in 2024
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 23rd district
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Preceded byJohn Forgety
Personal details
Born (1985-11-21) November 21, 1985 (age 38)
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Englewood, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee

Mark Cochran is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represents District 23 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was elected as part of the 111th general assembly in November 2018.[1] He was preceded by Republican representative John W. Forgety.[2] District 23 encompasses McMinn County and parts of Monroe County. Cochran began serving as the treasurer for the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 2019.

Early life

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Cochran's family roots in the town of Englewood, Tennessee date back seven generations to the 1850s when his ancestors established a small farm. He grew up tending cattle and bagging groceries in his parents' store.[3][better source needed] He is a devout Christian and conservative.

From 2004-2008, Cochran attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a grade point average of 4.0. Following this, he remained at the University of Tennessee for one more year, to 2009, to earn a Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism, continuing to maintain a 4.0 GPA.[citation needed]

Career

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In 2010, Cochran worked as a staff assistant in the office of former senator Bob Corker who held office from 2007-2019. Also starting in 2010, he became an assistant to the McMinn County Mayor's Office.[4] In 2015 he served as the campaign manager for Jason Zachary who ran for state representative for District 14, and defeated Scott Hacker with 72.9% or the vote.[5] As of 2015 Cochran also served as a board member on the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers.

In 2023, Cochran supported a resolution to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.[6]

2018 Election

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In the general election for District 23 of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Mark Cochran (R) defeated Brad Hartley (D).[7]

General Election for District 23 TN House of Representatives
Candidate % Votes
Mark Cochran (R) 80.7 16,395
Brad Hartley (D) 19.3 3,918
Total 100 20,313

Preceding the general election, on August 2, 2018, Cochran won the Republican primary election against Donald Winder III for Tennessee House of Representatives District 23.[8]

Republican Primary for District 23 TN House of Representatives
Mark Cochran Donald Winder III
McMinn 4,198 3,367
Monroe 1,822 849
Total 6,020 4,216

Committees

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Cochran presently is a member on the following legislative committees:[9] Education, Curriculum (Testing, and Innovation Subcommittees), Consumer and Human Resource Committee, (Consumer Subcommittee).

References

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  1. ^ "Tennessee House of Representatives District 23". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Representatives - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Balch, Gil (May 2, 2018), Mark Cochran for State Representative, retrieved November 26, 2019
  4. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. ^ "Jason Zachary". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "State of Tennessee November 6, 2018 State General" (PDF).
  8. ^ "State of Tennessee August 2, 2018 Republican Primary" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Representatives - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved November 26, 2019.