Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Ward 1 city councilman Nick Steward will hold an official press conference on February 1st to announce his plans to run for the State Legislature, District 74. Â The newly redrawn district includes over 66,000 voters, with over 40,000 in Clarksville/Montgomery County.
Steward, a Republican, tells Clarksville Online, “Last year a group of business owners and community leaders approached me to let me know they were happy with my votes and leadership on the Clarksville City Council. They asked me if I would consider running for state office. I told them I would give it some thought, but I was focused on the task at hand. During the redistricting process, a few more people in our community and around Tennessee approached me as well. After a great deal of thought and prayer, I felt that I do have a lot to offer our community and Tennessee by serving in the State House.”
The 74th District is currently being served by John Tidwell (D) from New Johnsonville TN.  Tidwell was first elected in 1996, and ran unopposed in 2010.
Steward was elected to the city council after longtime councilwoman Barbara Johnson was prohibited from running for another term. Steward is in the first year of his term on the council.
“I think there is great value in all of our House members being from Montgomery County” said Steward. “With a unified voice understanding our communities’ needs will serve our community well.” Currently, Clarksville/Montgomery County is represented by Joe Pitts (D), Curtis Johnson (R) and State Senator Tim Barnes (D). A portion of Montgomery County is now served by Philip Johnson (R), but he lost that population during the redistricting.
Steward tells Clarksville Online that he has spent the past few weeks getting to know political and business leaders in Houston County and Humphreys County, and is pleased with how he’s been received by those communities. “I look forward to the campaign process and discussing the needs and priorities of the 74th House District.”