John Rose Visits Sparta

John Rose currently serves as a US representative for Tennessee’s 6th congressional district, but with that term coming soon to a close, he is seeking to lead Tennessee in a new, more personal way. Running for Governor of our state, Rose swung down to humble little Sparta for a meet and greet and questions on Saturday, May 30.

With state representative Paul Sherrell and Sheriff Steve Page alongside him asking the questions, Rose was asked five major questions submitted by members of the community.

Sheriff Page said, “Tennessee needs a good governor, and I believe John will do a good job. Pick up where Bill Lee will leave off.”

Question 1: How will you fix our streets?

Rose said that streets are one of the biggest issues he ever gets asked about. He said, “One of the pledges I made was to widen the rural interstate. Four in each direction, that’ll catch us up. You have four lanes coming north, four lanes leaving south, but two here.”

Rose also cited how, years ago, Tennessee was lauded as a state with amazing roads, and that has now changed to having notoriously bad roads.

            Question 2: Will you support tourism and getting a hotel here in White County?

“Tourism is important, and it’s about having those necessary facilities,” said John Rose. He spoke on how, despite not having a beach, Tennessee is doing extremely well with tourism, and that he believes Tennessee is blessed to have good recreation for visitors that can help facilitate that.

Question 3: What are your plans for the education of our children regarding the voucher program?

While Rose did say streets are the most asked topic for him, education is the most important to him personally. “If you elect me, we will have a Commissioner of Education that has spent time teaching in a public-school classroom.” He, in addition, said the commissioner would be a Tennessean to reflect Tennessean values, rather than pulling someone from out of state who would have a different set of values that would be reflected in the way education is treated.

            Question 4: How will you protect farmers?

Rose himself owns farmland that has remained in the family for years. He said, “It’s not government’s job to hold these folks by the hand, but it’s their job to set the stage to let them do what they got to do.” Rose also mentioned a holistic approach, as issues like roads would also relate to issues with farmers, as farmers need solid roads for easy transportation of their goods.

Question 5: We need to keep God and faith in our state and country. How would you help that?

Before Rose answered, Sheriff Page, who presented the question, mentioned how important the question was to him. He said, “We have one of the top ten jails in the state of Tennessee. That was done by faith, and prayer, and doing the right thing for the right reasons. We baptized 20 people in our jail this past week, so this question is very important to me.”

Rose’s answer started plainly, saying, “I think it begins with Jesus Christ.”

John Rose said that having leaders who are not afraid to show their faith is important, as that leadership through example will encourage fellow Christians. He also said, “Our founders said our government is suited only for good, moral people.”

Rose’s Meet and Greet had a decent turnout, full of fellow county leaders who wanted to hear what a prospective candidate for leading Tennessee would say. The primary for gubernatorial elections is August 6, 2026.