Allie Phillips announces candidacy for state representative for District 75

Kenya Anderson, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
·2 min read
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Clarksville resident Allie Phillips has announced she is running for the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 75.

Phillips, an Ashland City native, received her bachelor's degree in Multimedia Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University, and after graduating she moved to Clarksville.

Allie Phillips has announced her candidacy for Tennessee state representative for District 75.
Allie Phillips has announced her candidacy for Tennessee state representative for District 75.

Phillips caught national attention earlier this year after sharing her story on TikTok on travelling to New York alone for an abortion following a scan at 19 weeks pregnant where he and her husband were informed her daughter, Miley Rose, was not compatible with life.

“I’ve had the honor of being a voice for so many people, not only in Tennessee but across the world. My story, unfortunately, is all too familiar for many families,” Phillips said in her announcement for candidacy. “My commitment to fighting for change is something Clarksville needs in a representative. We deserve someone who listens, understands, and cares, and that person is me. My passion for people will help me better represent the citizens of District 75.”

Allie Phillips and family in fall 2022. Phillips and her husband found out they were pregnant in November, but anatomy scans in February revealed their unborn daughter has severe fetal abnormalities. Phillips has decided to seek an out-of-state abortion to mitigate health risks, a procedure unavailable in Tennessee.
Allie Phillips and family in fall 2022. Phillips and her husband found out they were pregnant in November, but anatomy scans in February revealed their unborn daughter has severe fetal abnormalities. Phillips has decided to seek an out-of-state abortion to mitigate health risks, a procedure unavailable in Tennessee.

Phillips is now one of three Tennessee women suing for its abortion law, arguing that "the law is too restrictive and vague about when doctors can legally terminate a pregnancy with serious complications."

"Within an hour, I went into surgery alone. I sat in recovery alone," Phillips said in an opinion piece to The Tennessean on Sept. 25 about her experience getting an abortion. "I grieved the loss of my daughter alone, in a city I’d never been to, around doctors I’d never met before, far from my family. I am so grateful for the caring professionals who treated me with such dignity, but I should never have had to leave home for humane health care–abortion care."

Phillips, running in the Democratic nomination, could face Republican incumbent Jeff Burkhart, in November 2024.

Burkhart won the seat in the Nov. 8, 2022 election, running unopposed for the newly drawn District 75 which includes part of Montgomery County. Prior to being a state representative, he was a member of the Clarksville City Council

During elections, Montgomery County votes heavily Republican according to the Tennessee Secretary of State office election results data.

In the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump won the county by about 11,000 votes and won the county by over 9,000 votes during the 2020 election. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee won his 2018 bid with a county margin of about 5,000 votes and won his re-election by about 10,000 votes in 2022.

Reporter Kenya Anderson can be reached at kanderson@nashvill.gannett.com or on X at KenyaAnderson32.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Allie Phillips announces candidacy for state representative for District 75