John Rose

John W. Rose is an American politician and businessman currently serving as the U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he has held this position since 2019 and is currently in his fourth term, which is set to conclude on January 3, 2027. Rose has a background in agribusiness and law, and he has previously held the position of Tennessee's agriculture commissioner. He is also a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee in the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial election.

Early life and career

John W. Rose was born on February 23, 1965, in Cookeville, Tennessee, where he was raised. He pursued higher education in the field of agribusiness, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness economics from Tennessee Technological University in 1988. He continued his academic journey at Purdue University, where he obtained a Master of Science degree in agricultural economics in 1990. Furthering his education, Rose earned a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

In 1992, Rose co-founded Transcender Corp., a company that specialized in providing online information technology certification products. The company achieved significant success and was sold in October 2000 for $60 million. Following this venture, Rose became the owner and president of Boson Software, LLC, which focuses on training information technology professionals.

In addition to his business endeavors, Rose served as the Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of Tennessee from 2002 to 2003. This role allowed him to engage with agricultural policy and issues affecting the farming community in Tennessee.

House tenure

John Rose's political career in the U.S. House of Representatives began when he won the Republican primary for Tennessee's 6th Congressional District on August 2, 2018. This primary was necessitated by the decision of incumbent Diane Black to vacate her seat in order to run for governor. Rose secured his position in the general election held on November 6, 2018, winning with a substantial majority, receiving more than 70% of the votes cast.

Rose was re-elected for a second term in 2020, achieving 73.7% of the vote against Democratic nominee Christopher Finley. He faced no opposition in the primary election that year. In 2022, he successfully won a third term, garnering 66.3% of the vote against Democratic nominee Randal Cooper.

Throughout his tenure, Rose has been involved in various legislative actions and decisions. In May 2019, he made headlines when he blocked a vote during a pro forma session of Congress on a $19.1 billion relief bill aimed at assisting areas affected by natural disasters. He cited concerns about the national deficit and the timing of the vote, which occurred during a Congressional break.

In December 2020, Rose was one of 126 Republican members of the House to sign an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. This lawsuit, Texas v. Pennsylvania, was brought before the United States Supreme Court. In January 2021, he also voted to object to the certification of the election results.

In June 2021, Rose was one of 21 House Republicans who voted against a resolution to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Capitol Police officers who were present during the January 6 Capitol attack. He expressed that it was premature to honor the officers, citing a lack of sufficient information regarding the events of that day. This decision resulted in a low score from the Republican Accountability Project.

In 2022, Rose was among a minority of Republicans who supported the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, which aimed to address anti-competitive practices among corporations. More recently, in 2023, he was one of 71 Republicans to vote against the final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in the House.

In October 2024, it was reported that Rose would announce his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial election in Tennessee shortly after the 2024 general election. He officially launched his campaign on March 20, 2025.

Legislative focus and committees

During his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, John Rose has served on several committees that align with his background in agriculture and finance. For the 119th Congress, he is a member of the Committee on Agriculture, where he holds the position of Vice Chair on the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. He is also a member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology, as well as the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit.

In addition to his work on agricultural issues, Rose is a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Within this committee, he serves on the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, and the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

Rose is also affiliated with the Republican Study Committee, which is a group of conservative Republican members of the House of Representatives that focuses on promoting a conservative agenda.

Outside of his legislative duties, Rose has been involved in various nonprofit initiatives. He has chaired the Tennessee State Fair Association since its inception in 2010 and has served on the board of directors for the Tennessee Tech Foundation. Additionally, he has chaired the Tennessee Future Farmers of America Foundation. In honor of his parents, he established the Jerry and Betty Williams Rose Scholarship for agricultural students at Tennessee Tech.

In his personal life, Rose married Chelsea Doss in January 2011. The couple resides in Cookeville, Tennessee, and they have two sons. Rose also owns a family century farm located in rural Temperance Hall, west of Cookeville, which reflects his deep-rooted connection to agriculture and the community.