Zachary, Honaker face off for District 14 House seat
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Zachary
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Honaker
West Knox County residents will look at two Farragut candidates from which to choose for the 14th District state House of Representatives seat in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Currently in his sixth term as a 14th District state representative, Republican nominee Jason Zachary is seeking re-election and will face off against Democratic nominee, Lindsay Honaker, who is running for public office for the first time.
“It is truly the honor of my life to represent our community and be your voice in Nashville,” Zachary said about running for re-election. “Tennessee is leading the nation under Republican leadership. I feel that I’ve played an important role in advancing conservative initiatives and policy that have made Tennessee the best place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.
“It is important for West Knoxville to have a voice of influence in the legislature, so I’m running for re-election to continue providing effective leadership that positively impacts our community and state,” he said.
“Additionally, and most importantly, I pray about what the Lord would have me do when election time rolls around,” Zachary said. “I had peace about running again, which is always the ultimate deciding factor.”
For Honaker, “I was born and raised in Farragut, went to Farragut schools, and now my husband Brian and I are raising our two children here,” she said. “This community shaped me, and I want my kids to inherit a Tennessee that works for families like ours."
She said in early 2026, she watched the state political arena and “I realized that waiting for someone else to step up was not an option.
“I am running because District 14 deserves a representative who answers to constituents, not special interests, and who shows up, listens and does the work,” Honaker said. “My faith calls me to serve, and this is how I am answering that call.”
About her qualifications, Honaker responded, “My path has not been traditional, and that is a strength."
She spent more than a decade working in restaurants, many of which as a front of house manager. She earned a political science degree from Maryville College and later earned an automotive repair and estimation certificate from Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Missouri.
For the past 10 years, Honaker worked in corporate operations at a Knoxville company, managing budgets, planning large-scale events and coordinating across departments.
“Also, I’m a mom. We need more moms in charge,” she added.
As a state representative, Zachary served as Deputy Speaker of the House, the Finance Committee, Appropriation Sub-committee and served on the Commerce, Ethics and Calendar and Rules Committees.
“As for an individual initiative that I’m most proud of, it was the stand I took against the COVID tyranny on behalf of the people of our state,” he said. “I sponsored, and the GOP supermajority, passed the COVID protection bill in October of 2021, making Tennessee just the second state to pass such a bill.”
If re-elected, Zachary said he would focus on infrastructure.
“A few years ago, by working with [Tennessee Department of Transportation] and Chairman [Becky] Massey, I was able to secure approval and funding for the overhaul of both the Campbell Station and Watt Road exits,” he said. “Additionally, we worked with TDOT to approve the largest interstate enhancement road project in Knox County’s history that will move the weight stations and work to expand the interstate through Knox County,” Zachary said. “One of my top priorities will be continuing this work with our next governor to ensure Knox County’s infrastructure is a top priority of TDOT’s and the next administration.
“Additionally, last year I passed a property tax cap bill through the House,” Zachary said. “We are one of only four states with no cap.
“Unfortunately, the bill failed in the Senate,” he added. “I plan to bring this bill back in 2027. I’ve already discussed with Sen. [Marsha] Blackburn and will have her support when she becomes our next governor. We need the Senate to join us in protecting property owners.
“Finally, back in 2021, I voted against the bill to expand the use of surveillance cameras, now known as Flock cameras,” Zachary said. “The Wild West use of these cameras across our state must stop.
“I have already drafted a bill to address, with the top priority being the protection of our Fourth Amendment rights and ensure no Tennessean is tracked by these cameras,” he said.
Honaker’s priorities for the House seat also include privacy issues, among others.
“First, I plan to work with other representatives on eliminating the tax on groceries,” she said. “After that, we have to get public money back into our public schools where it belongs. And, we have to prioritize privacy by placing better regulations on Flock cameras and protecting our data from surveillance pricing, etc.”
