About Mandy

Photo of Mandy Cook, Democratic candidate for TN House District 45

Mandy Cook is a mother, healthcare worker, and grassroots Democratic candidate for Tennessee House District 45.

Her top priorities are lowering costs and lifting families, by:

  • Expanding healthcare access

  • Investing in public education

  • Making daily life more affordable

Mandy is running to improve the daily lives of Tennesseans. She’s not backed by corporate PACs or political insiders. She’s backed by neighbors, friends, and community members who are ready for real representation.

Running to Serve Tennesseans, Not Corporations

Community Organizing

Mandy speaking on stage at a Nashville No Kings rally

Mandy doesn't wait for change. She builds it, from the ground up.

She founded Indivisible Sumner and has poured herself into community organizing — tireless and all-in, because she believes real change is possible for Tennessee.

She's organized protests, rallies, food drives, and educational events. She’s confronted politicians about their destructive agendas. She’s shown up at the capitol to oppose policies that harm our communities.

She’s helped build real power, one action at a time.

Now it's time to send that relentless energy to the state house, where she'll fight for you every single day.

Mandy at the Capitol holding sign reading "No Jim Crow Maps"

Photos by Megan Lange

Get to Know Mandy, In Her Own Words

Photo of Mandy and her family

I'm originally from a small farm town in Ohio called Mount Gilead. It was a wonderful place to grow up, but I sure don't miss Ohio's long winters! I moved down to Tennessee in 2007 when I was 19 years old to pursue music.

Music was a full-time job for me for several years. I played local lounges and restaurants to pay the bills while touring and releasing albums. Eventually, I craved a more stable career and quality of life.

I went back to school utilizing the Tennessee Reconnect program when I was 28 years old, and acquired my Physical Therapist Assistant license. Since then, I've worked in every physical therapy setting imaginable, but my favorite environment is the hospital. Teaching people how to walk again after a stroke or traumatic brain injury is one of the most rewarding things I get to do.

Mandy and her son playing in the snow

My husband and I moved from Donelson to Hendersonville in 2019, partly to support my ability to attend Volunteer State for my PTA degree. We were also drawn to Hendersonville's good schools and extensive greenways.

We had our son, Archie, in 2021, and have loved raising him here. You can find me sprinting to keep up with him zooming on his bike down the greenway behind Moby Dicky's. We also love to go out as a family for pretzel bites and burgers to M.L. Rose in Gallatin.

Fun Facts

  • Rosie Food & Wine is our favorite place to have a date night in Sumner County. My husband and I have known the owners, Beth and Andy, for over a decade. We were all working in the restaurant industry in downtown Nashville when it first started booming.

    As a family, we love to go to M.L. Rose in Gallatin for pretzel bites and burgers.

  • Toni Morrison and Edward Carey.

    • David Bowie

    • Nina Simone

    • Joni Mitchell

    • Dave Brubeck

    • Stevie Wonder

  • Lifting heavy weights, camping, or knitting with my friends.

Mandy on stage with fist raised and Nashville skyline in the background