Tim Floyd Burchett is the United States Representative for Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district, based in Knoxville, and has been in office since 2019.

Burchett grew up in Knoxville, where he attended West Hills Elementary School, Bearden Junior High School, and Bearden High School. 

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He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville after graduating from Bearden High School in 1982, where he earned a B.S. degree in education.

Burchett first ran for public office in 1994, when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. From 1995 to 1998, he served two two-year terms in the House.

He was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 1998, representing the 7th district. He took over for Clyde Coulter “Bud” Gilbert. From 1999 to 2010, he was re-elected twice and served three four-year terms.

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Burchett received national attention in 1999 for sponsoring legislation to legalise eating roadkill, or wild animals killed by vehicles, before notifying the county game warden.

He defended the proposal as “common sense,” with the goal of preventing edible meat from being wasted.

In order to make it unlawful to “possess, produce, manufacture, distribute, or possess with intent to possess the active chemical ingredient in the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum in the state of Tennessee,” Burchett sponsored a bill in 2006.

In September 2010, Burchett succeeded Mike Ragsdale as mayor of Knox County, who resigned due to term limitations. Burchett defeated Democratic candidate Ezra Maize in the general election as well as former Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison in the Republican primary.

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Burchett officially announced the county’s first “cash mob” would take place at the Emory 5 & 10 store in South Knoxville during an appearance on WBIR-TV on February 10, 2012.

The cash mob received widespread media coverage and was mentioned in Time.