Tim Burchett Bio
Timothy Floyd Burchett (born August 25, 1964) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represents a long-standing Republican stronghold centered on Knoxville and is known for a blunt and outspoken political style.
Before his time in Congress, Burchett served as mayor of Knox County and represented parts of Knox County in the Tennessee General Assembly, serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998 and the Tennessee State Senate from 1999 to 2010. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education from the University of Tennessee and continues to live in Knoxville, the city where he was born and raised.
Early Life and Background
Timothy Floyd Burchett was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1964 and grew up in the same West Knoxville community he now represents. He attended West Hills Elementary School, Bearden Junior High School, and Bearden High School, graduating from Bearden in 1982. He later enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in education in 1988 and joined the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Coming of age in East Tennessee shaped Burchett’s conservative political outlook and his comfort with the kinds of rural and small-business issues that define his district. His early interest in public service grew out of local concerns, and he remained in Knoxville after college rather than pursuing a career outside East Tennessee.
Path to US Politics
Burchett’s first election to public office came in 1994, when he won a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 18th district. He served two two-year terms in the House, from 1995 to 1998, working on a range of state-level issues and building a reputation for independent thinking.
In 1998, Burchett won a four-year term in the Tennessee State Senate, representing the 7th district in Knox County, and was re-elected twice, serving a total of three terms from 1999 to 2010. While a state senator, he drew national attention for sponsoring a 1999 bill to legalize the processing and eating of roadkill before notifying the county game warden, and in 2006 he sponsored legislation that banned the active chemical ingredient in the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum in Tennessee. Those early stunts and policy fights helped establish him as a colorful and independent voice in Tennessee politics before he moved to county-wide office.
Tim Burchett Career
Early Career (1994–2010)
Burchett’s political career began with his 1994 win in the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he served until 1998. He then moved to the Tennessee State Senate in 1999, representing Knox County’s 7th district for three consecutive four-year terms. During this period he was involved in high-profile state issues, including a leadership fight in January 2005, when he and fellow Republican Michael Williams broke ranks and voted with Democrats to re-elect long-time Senate Speaker John Wilder.
By 2006, Burchett was also dealing with campaign finance questions. That year, the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance did not fine him for failing to report six political action committee checks totaling $3,300, and in 2008, while still a state senator, he was fined $250 for failing to disclose three PAC contributions that totaled $1,500. He left the state Senate in 2010 to run for county-wide office.
Knox County Mayor Breakthrough (2010–2018)
In 2010, Burchett successfully ran for mayor of Knox County, succeeding term-limited Mike Ragsdale. He defeated former Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison in the Republican primary and Democratic nominee Ezra Maize in the general election, taking office in September 2010. As mayor, he gained regional attention for promoting a local “cash mob” at Emery’s 5 & 10 store in South Knoxville in February 2012, an event later mentioned in Time magazine.
In 2012, Tennessee’s Registry of Election Finance unanimously decided to take no action against Burchett regarding an inquiry into his campaign disclosure forms. His time as mayor cemented his standing as the leading Republican figure in Knox County politics and set the stage for his run for federal office.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2019–Present)
When 30-year incumbent Jimmy Duncan announced his retirement in July 2017, Burchett entered a crowded seven-way Republican primary to succeed him. He defeated his nearest challenger, state representative Jimmy Matlock, by just under 12 percentage points and went on to win the general election against Democratic nominee Renee Hoyos with 65.9% of the vote, becoming only the seventh person to represent the 2nd district since 1909. He was re-elected in 2020 with 67.6% of the vote, again defeating Hoyos, and later ran unopposed in both the primary and general election in 2014.
In the House, Burchett has carved out a reputation for bucking party leadership at key moments. He was one of eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House in October 2023, one of only four House Republicans to vote against the Limit, Save, Grow Act in April 2023, and one of 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. He has also taken independent stances on foreign policy, opposing U.S. military intervention against Iran while ultimately endorsing President Trump’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites, and voting to repeal the 2002 AUMF against Iraq in 2021. He is a member of the new House subcommittee overseeing President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Burchett’s signature moments in Congress are his 2019 friendship with progressive representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, formed during freshmen orientation, and his vocal public interest in UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena, including comments in 2023 about a possible government coverup and his appearance in the 2025 documentary The Age of Disclosure. He has also drawn attention for his outspoken commentary after the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville and the 2024 Kansas City parade shooting, the latter of which led to a dismissed lawsuit.
Tim Burchett Career Wins
Across more than three decades in Tennessee and federal politics, Tim Burchett has compiled a long record of election victories at the local, state, and federal levels. His wins span the Tennessee House, the Tennessee State Senate, the Knox County mayor’s office, and the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. House Highlights
Burchett first won Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district in 2018 with 65.9% of the vote and was re-elected in 2020 with 67.6%, in both cases defeating Democrat Renee Hoyos. He ran unopposed in both the primary and the general election in 2014. His hold on the seat reflects the 2nd district’s status as one of the most Republican-leaning districts in the country.
Other Wins & Achievements
Before reaching Congress, Burchett won election to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1994, the Tennessee State Senate in 1998, and the Knox County mayor’s office in 2010. He has sponsored and helped pass state-level legislation, including Tennessee’s 2006 ban on the active ingredient in Salvia divinorum and his 1999 roadkill-consumption bill, both of which became law.
Tim Burchett Family
Family Background and Public Profile
Burchett was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and continues to make his home there. Public information about his parents and extended family is limited, and he is generally regarded as a Knoxville native whose political identity is tied closely to East Tennessee.
Personal Life
Burchett is a Presbyterian. He married Allison Beaver in June 2008 in an impromptu ceremony conducted by Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen; Beaver filed for divorce in April 2012, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized that year. He married Kelly Kimball in 2014 and later became a legal guardian to Kimball’s daughter, who is homeschooled. He is a hobbyist skateboard builder who works with bamboo and has built more than ten boards, and he keeps horses on his farm, an interest that led to a broken rib and bruising in 2025 when he was kicked by a horse.