Joni Cochran

Joni Cochran is a candidate for Tennessee Senate District 17 Primary Election in 2026 in Tennessee State Senate District 17, Tennessee.

Businesswoman in Lebanon, TN

Also running: Theodore (butch) Baker, Mark Pody, Lindsey Patrick-Wright.

Joni Cochran, born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, is a candidate for Tennessee State Senate District 17 as a Democrat. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a graduate degree from Strayer University, in addition to a Montessori studies certification. A mother, grandmother, businesswoman, and podcaster, she moved to Wilson County in 2002. She is actively involved in her community, serving on the NAACP Executive Committee and previously on boards for the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Wilson, and Habitat for Humanity. Cochran is affiliated with several Democratic women's organizations and advocates for preserving farmland, protecting public schools, and defending civil rights.