After spending more than 3 years in jail for a crime she says she didn't commit, Keeda Haynes says she can bring a new concept to the race for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District.
The woman is trying to get a place in Washington, as it will help her share her thoughts and improve any vulnerability and fill the gaps.
Haynes is an ex-public defender in a three-way race that includes 17-year Democratic incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper.
The first round of elections is expected to be held on Aug. 6, and has no Republican in the race. This means that the winner will most likely be elected to Congress come November.
"I have a unique perspective that a lot of people don't have. ... I've been a defendant and defender," Haynes said. "I really saw just how this war on drugs really decimated Black and brown, low-income communities."
In case she wins, the Democrat would be the first dark-skinned woman in Tennessee ever to be elected to Congress.
The 42-year-old woman is known to support criminal justice reform and Black Lives Matter protests, and is also interested in giving access to decent housing, increasing the minimum wage and reducing the student loan debt.
"We are reimagining each and every system so that Black lives can matter across every single spectrum," she said.
It is ought to mention that Haynes is from Franklin, and moved to Nashville. She graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in criminal justice and psychology. However, two weeks after getting her certificate, she left her position as a legal assistant because she had to report to federal prison.
