Charlane Oliver
Charlane Oliver | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 19th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Brenda Gilmore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BS) University of Tennessee (MPA) |
Charlane Oliver (born October 26)[1] is a nonprofit executive and politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, she has represented District 19 in the Tennessee Senate since 2023.[2]
Life and career
Oliver is from Little Rock, Arkansas.[3] She received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in 2005 and an M.P.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2008.[4] After graduating from college, Oliver worked for the state of Tennessee, Meharry Medical Center in Nashville, the Knoxville Urban League, the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Representative Jim Cooper.[3]
In 2016, Oliver co-founded the Equity Alliance, an organization dedicated to educating black voters.[3][5][6]
In 2020, she was a member of an advisory group for how the city of Nashville should spend CARES Act funds.[7]
After State Senator Brenda Gilmore announced her retirement in April of 2022, Oliver defeated four other candidates in the open 19th district Democratic primary.[8] She proceeded to win the general election against Republican Pime Hernandez.[9]
Oliver serves on the following committees in the Tennessee Senate:[4]
- Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Government Operations Committee
- Joint Education, Health and General Welfare Committee
- Joint Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Agriculture
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Charlane Oliver | 5,801 | 33.4 | |
| Democratic | Jerry Maynard | 5,152 | 29.7 | |
| Democratic | Barry Barlow | 4,554 | 26.2 | |
| Democratic | Ludye Wallace | 1,521 | 8.8 | |
| Democratic | Rossi Turner | 336 | 1.9 | |
| Total votes | 17,364 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Charlane Oliver | 30,472 | 83.2 | |
| Republican | Pime Hernandez | 6,150 | 16.8 | |
| Total votes | 36,662 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ "Senators - TN General Assembly". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "Senators - TN General Assembly". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "'Know Better, Do Better': Charlane Oliver, BS'05, focuses on educating and energizing the Black electorate". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ a b "Senators - TN General Assembly". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "Equity Alliances staffs up • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ Jeong, Yihyun. "Mayor Cooper quietly gathers group to explore how Nashville will spend COVID-19 stimulus". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "Leaders of civic group give detailed economic recommendations to Cooper • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ Elliott, Stephen (August 5, 2022). "Charlane Oliver wins Senate District 19 primary". Nashville Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Elliott, Stephen (November 9, 2022). "Nashville Democrats elected to state legislature". Nashville Post. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ [1] State of Tennessee. August 4, 2022.
- ^ [2] State of Tennessee. November 8, 2022.