Charlie Baum

Charlie Baum
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 37th district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 6, 2018
Preceded by	Dawn White
Personal details
Born	(1972-12-13) December 13, 1972 (age 52)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kelly Baum
Children	Elizabeth, Anna Jane, Charles
Education	Wake Forest University (BA) University of North Carolina (PhD)
Occupation	Politician Professor

Charlie Baum (born December 13, 1972[1][2]) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 37 (Murfreesboro) since November 6, 2018. Baum is also a professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University.[3]

In 2023, Baum was the only Republican to vote against three resolutions to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The two successful expulsions were widely characterized as unprecedented.[4] Baum told the Tennessean he wanted to keep working with the three lawmakers to "become more effective legislators" and said that "the vast majority of ['my constituents'] didn't want these representatives expelled".[3]

Background

Education

Baum attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he earned his B.A. in economics in 1995. Baum then attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he received his Ph.D. in economics in 1999.[5]

Teaching career

Baum currently teaches economics at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He has taught at MTSU since August 1999.

Personal life

Baum was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is married to his wife Kelly and they have 3 children: Elizabeth, Anna Jane, and Charles. Baum and his family are active members of the First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro.[6]

Electoral history

2018 election

Primary election results

The District 37 Republican Primary Election took place on August 2, 2018.[7]

Candidate	Percentage of Votes	Total Votes Received
Charlie Baum	100%	5,831 Votes

General election results

The District 37 General Election took place on November 6, 2018.[7]

Candidate	Percentage of Votes	Total Votes Received
Charlie Baum (R)	59.3%	13,455 Votes
Deanna Debow Osborne (D)	40.7%	9,218 Votes

2022 election

Republican Primary

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charlie Baum (incumbent)	3,658	100.00%
Total votes			3,658	100.00%

General election

Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 general election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charlie Baum (incumbent)	9,456	65.44%
	Democratic	Bill Levine	4,993	34.56%
Total votes			14,449	100.00%
	Republican hold

Current legislative committees

Role	Committee
Member	Finance, Ways, & Means Committee
Member	Finance, Ways, & Means Appropriations Committee
Member	Education
Member	Consumer & Human Resources Committee
Member	Employee Affairs Subcommittee

[2]

Community involvement

Volunteer work

Baum was a board member for 4 years at the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties[8] from 2013–2017. He was a board member at the American Heart Association of Rutherford County for 5 years from 2012–2017. He was a county commissioner at the Rutherford County Commission for 8 years from 2010–2018. He was a board member on the Murfreesboro City School Foundation for 6 years from 2013–2019. He is currently a board member on the Linebaugh Library Foundation Board, where he has served since 2015. Baum is currently a board member at Oaklands Historic Mansion,[9] where he has served since 2016.[5]

Organizations

Baum has been a part of the American Academy of Economics and Financial Experts[10] (AAEFE) since 2015. He has been a part of National Association of Forensic Economists[11] since January 2013.

Published work

Baum published "Calculating Economic Losses from Wrongful Incarceration"[12] in the Tennessee Bar Journal in July 2016. Baum published "Employee Tenure and Economic Losses in Wrongful Termination Cases"[13] in the Journal of Forensic Economics[14] in 2013.

Honors and awards

In 1988, Baum became an Eagle Scout, as a part of the Boy Scouts of America.[2] From 2008–2014, Baum served as a chair in the Department of Economics and Finance at MTSU.[2]

References

1. Broden, Scott. "Election 2018: What Baum, Osborne say about economy, jobs and roads in Rutherford County". Daily News Journal. USA Today Network. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
2. "Representative Charlie Baum". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
3. Gadd, Chris (8 April 2023). "One TN Republican didn't vote for lawmakers' expulsion. Here's who and why". The Tennessean.
4. Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
5. "Charles Baum Professor of Economics". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
6. "Charlie Baum's Biography". Vote Smart Facts Matter. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
7. "Charlie Baum". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
8. "| United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties". www.yourlocaluw.org.
9. "Oaklands Mansion".
10. "AAEFE". aaefe.org.
11. "NAFE Internet Home". www.nafe.net.
12. "Calculating Economic Losses from Wrongful Incarceration". www.tba.org.
13. Baum, Charles L. (2013). "Employee Tenure and Economic Losses in Wrongful Termination Cases". Journal of Forensic Economics. 24 (1): 41–66. doi:10.5085/jfe.24.1.41. JSTOR 42756289.
14. "Allen Press". meridian.allenpress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.