About Mandy
My name is Mandy Cook. I'm a mother, healthcare worker, and community organizer running as the Democratic candidate for Tennessee House District 45.
For too long, the people running this state have been out of touch with the people living in it. This past year made that impossible to ignore. The people making decisions about our lives don't seem to know — or care — what those lives actually look like. That has to change.
Our district deserves a representative with real stakes in this community, someone who lives the same realities you do. Institutional politicians have had their chance — and they've spent it climbing the ladder instead of making life better for the people they represent.
The status quo hasn't delivered for Tennesseans. But I will.
I’m running so that constituents like you and me have voices who are fighting for us in our state legislature. I'm not backed by corporations or political insiders. I'm backed by neighbors, coworkers, and people who are ready for real representation.
District 45 is ready for something better. And together, we're going to prove it.
Community Organizing
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.
Photo by Jordan Ring
Key Issues
Family Support
When Sumner County parents are given the tools they need to support their families, it strengthens our local economies and our community's well being.
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I became a mother in 2021. Parenthood allowed me to see the holes in our social and civil systems with glaring clarity.
All around me, I saw the great chasm between what young families need and what they get — the lack of parental leave, the staggering hospital bills, the price or downright lack of childcare, and the absence of family-friendly community spaces.
Tennessee parents deserve state infrastructure that enables them to thrive. State laws can lay the groundwork for crucial support like parental leave and childcare access.
Reproductive Health
Tennessee has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. That means more pregnant people die here in Tennessee than anywhere else in the nation.
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33% of Tennessee counties are maternity care deserts, which means there are no hospitals or birth centers offering OB care.
Our state also has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, despite the fact that the majority of Tennessee voters are pro-choice. This ban has:
Created delays in care for miscarriages and other emergencies
Resulted in OB-GYNs retiring early or leaving the state
Deterred medical students from choosing Tennessee for OB-GYN residency
Further reduced healthcare access for women in rural areas
Deprived women of their bodily autonomy — a basic human right
It’s clear that restricting abortion endangers women and girls in our state.
After the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, and with the knowledge that Tennessee's reproductive laws are some of the strictest in the country, our family decided that we would not attempt to have a second child. I was not willing to risk my life by becoming pregnant again, especially with my son now in the world.
I believe state law should not hinder a family from making decisions about conceiving. And like most Tennessee voters, I believe that healthcare decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not politicians.
Tennessee also needs drastic overhauling in the support we give low-income, expectant families in order to reduce the number of pregnant people who die in our state.
Immigration
In 2026, Tennessee Republicans introduced more than 40 anti-immigrant bills — several of them sponsored by the current representative of District 45.
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Our immigration system is, at its core, broken and complicated.
There are no clear and simple paths to citizenship for those not natively born here. Gaining permanent residency in the U.S. comes at a high cost in both time and money.
This is a federal issue that should be remediated. Our current Republican supermajority at the Tennessee legislature wants to punish the immigrant community for our federal government's failings. This is both cruel and short-sighted.
The alt-right have perpetuated lies about our immigrant population, claiming that they are dangerous and that they are here to take advantage of "handouts." In truth, immigrants are far less likely to commit to crimes than U.S.-born residents.
Furthermore, immigrants pay taxes and boost our overall economy. Undocumented Tennessee residents paid over $314 million in taxes in 2022. They often pay more than their fair share, because they pay into social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment, but do not qualify to receive those benefits.
In states like Tennessee, where a sales tax takes the place of a state income tax, undocumented people are paying just as much in tax as the rest of us to put food on their tables and shoes on their family's feet.
Immigration is essential to our culture, our workforce, and our economy. While a broken immigration system requires addressing at the federal level, our state policies regarding immigration are incredibly important.
Conservation
The politicians currently in control of our state repeatedly disregard the conservation of Tennessee's ecosystems. Too often, they side with corporations and lobbyists over people and the natural environment.
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Elon Musk's xAI Data Center outside Memphis spans 271 acres, uses millions of gallons of Memphis drinking water daily, and produces smog that is damaging the health of local residents. Despite many of xAI's operating practices being non-compliant with environmental and energy law, they have faced no repercussions.
In Nashville, Musk was given a backdoor deal for his Tesla Tunnel — a proprietary tunnel that would primarily serve tourists, NOT Tennesseans — by Republican lawmakers and our Republican governor, Bill Lee.
We need laws that protect our residents and Tennessee's natural wonders. Data centers need to be strictly regulated to mitigate their environmental and social impact. Tennessee needs standards in place that all data centers are required to follow.
Tennesseans also need more options to utilize clean energy, mass transit, and progressive waste management systems. Investment in such infrastructure would create countless jobs and boost state and local tax revenue. It would also enable Tennesseans to spend less time in traffic and less money on the cars we are currently so dependent on in our state.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Love is love, and trans rights are human rights. Tennessee must stand up for the rights and dignity of every LGBTQ+ resident, ensuring that all people can live freely, authentically, and without fear of discrimination.
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In American culture, we have held very rigid views of what it means to be a man or a woman for a long time. Because of this, I can empathize with people who struggle to see the difference between sex (what the doctor put on your birth certificate) and gender (whether you feel like a man, a woman, or neither).
I have had to personally do a lot of unlearning about ingrained gender roles and expectations for the sake of my own mental health. I find trans people to be a positive force, and believe that they empower us to challenge society's expectations of who we should and shouldn't be.
The far-right trans-panic has caused so much harm, confusion, and misinformation. It's something I hear brought up time and time again by people who dislike "political parties," but find themselves struggling with the concept of individuals who are transgender, and so default to voting for the party that stands against trans rights.
The people who struggle to understand our transgender population have been led to believe a lot of lies about transgender people and their influence on our society. For instance, many people are surprised to learn that transgender people currently make up less than 1% of the U.S. population.
I encourage people to look past those lies and realize that transgender individuals are being used to distract many Americans from issues that actually affect them — like the crippling cost of healthcare or difficulty finding employment.
Education Access
When every child — regardless of their zip code, income, or background — has access to well-funded schools, dedicated teachers, and the resources they need, we unlock potential that benefits all of us.
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Public education for undocumented students is already protected on a federal level via a Supreme Court ruling (Plyler v. Doe). However, Tennessee Republican lawmakers are pushing bills that would restrict undocumented children's access to public schools and track how many undocumented students any particular school serves. These bills are harmful and ineffective.
Every child has the right to an education, and educating every child benefits Tennessee in the long run. Organizations like Public School Strong are fighting for Education for All initiatives that school districts can adopt. These would promise the protection of education for all students.
We could also enact in-state tuition rates for undocumented students and DACA recipients, which would increase the number of Tennessee students attaining higher education and trade certifications.
Educating as many Tennesseans as possible will only make Tennessee more competitive and prosperous.
Get to Know Me
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.
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
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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.
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Toni Morrison and Edward Carey.
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David Bowie
Nina Simone
Joni Mitchell
Dave Brubeck
Stevie Wonder
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Lifting heavy weights, camping, or knitting with my friends.
