John W. Rose

John Williams Rose (born February 23, 1965) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd agriculture commissioner of Tennessee from 2002 to 2003.

Rose was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

Early life and education Rose was born and raised in Cookeville, Tennessee, and earned a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness economics from Tennessee Tech in 1988, a Master of Science in agricultural economics from Purdue University in 1990, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. His ancestry in Tennessee traces back eight generations.

Career In 1992, Rose co-founded Transcender Corp., Rose owns and is the president of Boson Software, LLC, which trains IT professionals.

Rose served as commissioner of agriculture for Tennessee in 2002.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections 2018

On August 2, 2018, Rose won the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District after Diane Black vacated the seat to run for governor. He defeated Dawn Barlow in the November 6 general election with more than 70% of the vote. After being elected, Rose hired former Representative Van Hilleary as his chief of staff.

2020

Rose won a second term with 73.7% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Christopher Finley. He was unopposed in the primary election.

2022

Rose won a third term with 66.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Randal Cooper.

Tenure In May 2019, Rose blocked a vote during a pro 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 the national deficit and the vote being held during a Congressional break as reasons for his objection.

In December 2020, Rose was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. 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.

In June 2021, Rose was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to the United States Capitol Police officers who were on duty during the 2021 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. As a result, the Republican Accountability Project gave him a score of F.

In 2022, Rose was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2021, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

Rose was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.

In October 2024, The Tennessee Journal reported that Rose would announce a 2026 campaign for Governor of Tennessee shortly after the 2024 general election. He officially announced his candidacy on March 20, 2025, at an event in Wilson County. Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development (Vice Chair) Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee on Financial Institutions Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee

Political positions Rose identifies as a lifelong conservative and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, and supports furthering his agenda.

Guns and crime Rose identifies as a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. He is also critical of how CoreCivic has operated prisons in Tennessee, but is not opposed to using private prisons. He also supports the death penalty. He also believes that public school districts should be monitored to ensure they are adequately educating their students, and that the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education should have experience teaching in Tennessee public schools. Rose also supports states taking over the function of the U.S. Department of Education. Rose believes states should actively assist in cracking down on illegal immigration, including Section 287(g) agreements with federal law enforcement agencies. He believes that all county and city governments should be required to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and supports prohibiting students who are unlawfully present in the United States from attending public schools.

Electoral history

Nonprofit work Rose has chaired the Tennessee State Fair Association since its founding in 2010. He has also served on Tennessee Tech Foundation's board of directors

Rose established the Jerry and Betty Williams Rose Scholarship for agricultural students at Tennessee Tech in memory of his parents.

Personal life Rose and his wife Chelsea married in January 2011. They live in Cookeville, Tennessee, with their two sons.