John Rose | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's6th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Diane Black |
| 33rdAgriculture Commissioner of Tennessee | |
| In office August 1, 2002 – January 18, 2003 | |
| Governor | Don Sundquist |
| Preceded by | Dan Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Ken Givens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Williams Rose (1965-02-23)February 23, 1965 (age 60) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3[note 1] |
| Education | Tennessee Technological University (BS) Purdue University (MS) Vanderbilt University (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
John Williams Rose (born February 23, 1965) is an American politician and businessman serving as theU.S. representative forTennessee's 6th congressional district since 2019. A member of theRepublican Party, he previously served as the 33rdagriculture commissioner of Tennessee from 2002 to 2003.
Rose is currently running forGovernor of Tennessee in the2026 gubernatorial election.[1]
Rose was born and raised inCookeville, Tennessee, and earned a Bachelor of Science inagribusiness economics fromTennessee Tech in 1988, a Master of Science in agricultural economics fromPurdue University in 1990, and aJ.D. fromVanderbilt University Law School.[2]
In 1992, Rose co-founded Transcender Corp.,[2] a provider of online information technology certification products that was sold in October 2000 for $60 million.[3] Rose owns and is the president of Boson Software, LLC, which trains IT professionals.[4][5]
Rose served ascommissioner of agriculture for Tennessee in 2002.[6]
On August 2, 2018, Rose won the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District afterDiane Black vacated the seat to run forgovernor.[7][8] He defeated Dawn Barlow in the November 6 general election with more than 70% of the vote.[9] After being elected, Rose hired former RepresentativeVan Hilleary as his chief of staff.[10]
Rose won a second term with 73.7% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Christopher Finley.[11] He was unopposed in the primary election.[12]
Rose won a third term with 66.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Randal Cooper.[13]
In May 2019, Rose blocked a vote during apro forma session of Congress on a $19.1-billion relief bill intended to deliver aid to areas of the U.S. affected by natural disasters the previous year. He cited thenational deficit and the vote being held during a Congressional break as reasons for his objection.[14]
In December 2020, Rose was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated incumbentDonald Trump.[15] In January 2021, Rose was one of 147 Republicans in Congress and 139 in the House to vote to object to the certification of the results of the election.[16]
In June 2021, Rose was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give theCongressional Gold Medal to theUnited States Capitol Police officers who were on duty during the2021 United States Capitol attack. He said it was too soon to award the medals and there was not yet enough information about the events on January 6.[17] As a result, theRepublican Accountability Project gave him a score of F.[18]
In 2022, Rose was one of 39 Republicans to vote for theMerger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2021, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[19][20]

Rose was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[21]
In October 2024,The Tennessee Journal reported that Rose would announce a2026 campaign forgovernor of Tennessee shortly after the2024 general election.[22] He officially announced his candidacy on March 20, 2025 at an event inWilson County.[1]
For the119th Congress:[23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose | 43,788 | 41.3 | |
| Republican | Bob Corlew | 33,088 | 31.2 | |
| Republican | Judd Matheny | 16,753 | 15.9 | |
| Republican | Lavern Vivio | 9,506 | 9 | |
| Republican | Christopher Monday | 3,021 | 2.9 | |
| Total votes | 106,156 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose | 172,810 | 69.5 | |
| Democratic | Dawn Barlow | 70,370 | 28.3 | |
| Independent | David Ross | 3,426 | 1.4 | |
| Independent | Lloyd Dunn | 2,134 | .8 | |
| Total votes | 248,740 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 78,340 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 78,340 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 257,572 | 73.7 | |
| Democratic | Christopher Finley | 83,852 | 24.0 | |
| Independent | Christopher Monday | 8,154 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 349,578 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 57,162 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 57,162 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 129,388 | 66.33% | |
| Democratic | Randal Cooper | 65,675 | 33.67% | |
| Total votes | 195,063 | 100.0% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 38,607 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 38,607 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rose (incumbent) | 225,543 | 68.00% | |
| Democratic | Lore Bergman | 106,144 | 32.00% | |
| Total votes | 331,687 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Rose has chaired the Tennessee State Fair Association since its founding in 2010.[30] He has also served on Tennessee Tech Foundation's board of directors[3] and as chair of the TennesseeFuture Farmers of America Foundation.[31]
Rose established the Jerry and Betty Williams Rose Scholarship for agricultural students at Tennessee Tech in memory of his parents.[32]
Rose and his wife Chelsea (née Doss) married in January 2011[33] when they were 45 and 21, respectively, and met at or before when they were 42 and 18, respectively.[34] They live inCookeville, Tennessee, with their two sons.[note 2][35] He owns a familycentury farm in ruralTemperance Hall, west of Cookeville.[35]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dan Wheeler | Agriculture Commissioner of Tennessee 2002–2003 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 6th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 224th | Succeeded by |