KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

As part of his campaign to become the next governor of Tennessee, U.S. Rep. John Rose made a stop in his former district and talked with both the Tullahoma Noon Rotary Club and city leadership.

Rose visited the Rotarians at their Feb. 20 meeting, where he spoke about what was happening at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. He first informed the club that he was not seeking reelection, where he argued for citizen legislature and described Washington as “corrosive” as he expressed concerns about delegated power, the judiciary, national debt and cultural decline. He then moved to highlight what’s been happening during the first year of the Trump Administration, where he praised President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions on border enforcement and energy policy, as well as highlighting the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” for cutting in spending, preventing tax increases and providing tax relief, strengthening farm support and expanding SNAP work requirements. He also talked about the Homebuyer’s Privacy Protection Act, a bipartisan bill he sponsored along with U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and was signed into law last September, which helped to safeguard homebuyers’ personal financial information by restricting the sale of “trigger leads” by credit reporting agencies, which would curb unsolicited calls and emails to consumers applying for mortgages. It also mandated that third parties must have consumer consent or a direct relationship to access credit inquiries.

He concluded his talk with the Rotarians that while he is not seeking reelection in the House of Representatives, he was seeking the seat of Tennessee Governor, which he announced his campaign for back in March 2025.

“I’m coming home,” Rose said. “I hope you give me a chance to earn your vote.”

Following the meeting, Rose stuck around and held a roundtable discussion with various city and county leadership. During the discussion, Rose heard various topics and concerns, starting with Arnold Air Force Base and its concerns regarding federal budget instability, the impact government shutdowns have on contractors, the potential AI data center proposals and power needs, childcare shortages and housing needs. Rose also heard concerns about the fragility of the Duck River water system; managing growth while safeguarding agriculture; road funding needs and projects like the widening of Cedar Lane to create an alternate route between Highways 41 and 55; the reliance on competitive grants and changes to state/local revenue sharing; economic development updates; school concerns about the voucher program and other issues; and other updates regarding the county and Tullahoma.

Rose praised county and city officials for engaging with him, highlighting their organization and presentation.

“With your leaders in this community, for advocating for the needs of the community, and they do a great job,” Rose said to The News. “It was interesting to hear about the challenges that AEDC faces, the infrastructure challenges for the community and the schools.”

He said of these concerns, infrastructure was the biggest concern he’s heard as he’s visited all the counties, and said the leadership present at the roundtable did a great job articulating their needs and dialing him in on potential solutions.

“We need a governor who will take on that challenge,” Rose said.

As part of his campaign, Rose said his top issues he would address as governor would be education, infrastructure, access to healthcare, access to energy and rural development/job creation. Though it wasn’t touched on during the roundtable, Rose said access to healthcare is one of his top issues as citizens have expressed concerns with both affordability and access, as more rural hospitals have shut down.

“We have communities where there is no primary care other than perhaps the state health department,” Rose said.

Rose also touched on the inadequate provision for mental health care, stating it’s an issue that the state needs to tackle by working with the healthcare community to make sure that services are available when and where they are needed.

As for the race of governor, Rose said he viewed the seat as being the CEO of the state, and asked potential voters to consider who has that kind of experience.

“The last three governors we’ve elected all came from a business background like I do,” Rose stated. “I think Tennesseans understand that the job of leading the state is more akin to a CEO job than it is a legislator job, and so as they think about whether to elect a career legislator who maybe doesn’t have that experience, I think that’s something for them to ponder.”

Rose added that Tennesseans don’t want to pay for on the job training for the next governor, and they need someone has “the vision, vitality, the interest, the stamina, and the energy” to take on the job.

“It’s not a retirement job and it shouldn’t be viewed as a reward or a trophy to be put on the shelf,” Rose said. “It’s a real job, and so I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work hard for the people of Tennessee and to listen to them in the process.”