Age in the 2025 Tennessee General Assembly
The State of Tennessee held its elections for the Tennessee House of Representatives and odd-numbered seats in the Tennessee State Senate on November 5th, 2024. In January 2025, the 114th Tennessee General Assembly officially convened to begin its first session. Among the members elected, eight legislators qualified as Young Elected Leaders, meaning they were aged 35 or younger on the day of the 2024 election. Below is a map illustrating the presence of these young representatives and senators within the chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville.
Tennessee Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%.
The Tennessee House of Representatives 2025 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
- The average age among Tennessee House members was 56.22 years
- The youngest Representative, Kip Capley, was born in 1997
- The oldest Representative, Johnny Wilson Shaw, was born in 1942
- 6 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Tennessee House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generations. Scroll below to view the generations represented in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Partisanship in the Tennessee House of Representatives
The chart below provides a further breakdown of the current partisan composition of the 2025 Tennessee House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan differences in the Tennessee House extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Democratic members have an average age of 52.98, while Republicans have a higher average age of 57.26. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles. 
Young Elected Representatives – Tennessee House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Tennessee, 6 members aged 35 or under were elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. Below are all six members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliations.
Young Elected Representatives — Tennessee House of Representatives (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age on Election Day 2024) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kip Capley (R) | District 71 —
Wayne, TN |
1997 (Age 27) | 2022 |
 |
Justin Jones (D) | District 52 —
Nashville, TN |
1995 (Age 29) | 2023 |
 |
Justin J. Pearson (D) | District 86 —
Memphis, TN |
1995 (Age 29) | 2023 |
 |
Torrey Cordell Harris (D) | District 91 —
Memphis, TN |
1991 (Age 33) | 2020 |
 |
Aftyn Behn (D) | District 51 —
Nashville, TN |
1989 (Age 35) | 2023 |
 |
Gabby Salinas (D) | District 96 —
Memphis, TN |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
Photos Courtesy of the Tennessee House member roster
Gender in the Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In Tennessee, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 84.85% are men, while women make up 15.15%. For female representatives, the average age at the time of the election was 57.95; for men, it was 55.91. Of the 6 Young Elected Leaders, four are male, and two are female.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional age differences emerge within the Tennessee House of Representatives. Republican men and women have a higher average age when compared to Democrats. These patterns show that age representation in the Tennessee House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Tennessee House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Tennessee House of Representatives varies across generations. In 2024, younger cohorts exhibit greater diversity, although the chamber as a whole remains predominantly White. The table below shows the distribution of each generation.
Race and Ethnicity in the Tennessee House of Representatives
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Silent Generation 1928–1945 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 11 (73.33%) | 34 (79.07%) | 31 (83.78%) | 2 (66.67%) | 78 (79.59%) |
| Black / African American | 3 (20%) | 7 (16.28%) | 5 (13.51%) | 1 (33.33%) | 16 (16.33%) |
| American Indian / Native American | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.33%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.02%) |
| Asian | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.7%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.02%) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.33%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.02%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 1 (6.67%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.02%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 15 (15.31%) | 43 (43.88%) | 37 (37.76%) | 3 (3.06%) | 98 (100%) |
The Tennessee Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Tennessee Senate
- The average age of Tennessee State Senate members is 61.44 years
- The youngest Senator is Jessie Seal, born in 1991
- The oldest Senator is James Rand McNally III, born in 1944
- 2 members of the Tennessee State Senate are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Tennessee State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Tennessee, two members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the Tennessee State Senate.
Young Elected Senators — Tennessee Senate (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age on Election Day 2024) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Jessie Seal (R) | District 8 — Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Jefferson, Sevier, and Union Counties, TN | 1991 (Age 33) | 2024 |
 |
London P. Lamar (D) | District 33 — Shelby County, TN | 1990 (Age 33) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of the Tennessee Senate Member Roster.
Partisanship in the Tennessee State Senate
In the Tennessee State Senate, 27 senators belong to the Republican Party, and six senators are Democrats. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 48.68, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 64.28. Each generation has a different partisan makeup; overall, the Tennessee State Senate is overwhelmingly composed of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. Below is the breakdown of party composition by generation in the Tennessee State Senate.
Gender in the Tennessee Senate
The generational makeup of the Tennessee Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, men are overrepresented across all age groups, especially among older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.
Race and Ethnicity in the Tennessee Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Tennessee Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Tennessee Senate
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 3 (50%) | 8 (100%) | 18 (100%) | 29 (90.62%) |
| Black / African American | 3 (50%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (9.38%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 6 (18.75%) | 8 (25%) | 18 (56.25%) | 32 (100%) |
The full Tennessee State Senate comprises 32 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Tennessee, which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn, Adil Khan
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Tennessee General Assembly