Democrat · Tennessee's 3rd District · 2026
Anna Golladay
Golladay lives in Chattanooga's Park Central neighborhood with her husband, Mike.
Biography
Anna Golladay lists coffee, hiking and live music among her pleasures, and shares her Chattanooga home with her husband, Mike.1 She founded the clothing business Biased Apparel in 2011, and her working life has also included marketing, church ministry and consulting with congregations.1
Golladay earned a fine arts degree at Shepherd University, a master's in integrated marketing communications at West Virginia University and a master's in theological studies at Iliff School of Theology.1 Her business experience also includes working as creative and marketing director at Top Flight Inc. in Chattanooga.1 She previously served as associate pastor at St. Elmo and St. Marks United Methodist churches in Chattanooga.1
Her professional experience includes communications and marketing leadership with the Center for Progressive Renewal and Convergence.2 Through Work of Place, she has advised churches on making underused buildings available to entrepreneurs who lack resources or financing.2 Her congressional platform calls for expanding affordable housing tax credits, supporting community land trusts and increasing the federal minimum wage.3
Golladay also proposes protecting rural health services, expanding the child tax credit and removing the Social Security payroll tax cap.3 She supports federal research at Oak Ridge, environmental cleanup and greater public scrutiny of Tennessee Valley Authority rates.3 Golladay faces Republican Chuck Fleischmann and five independents.4
Record and controversies
Church license withdrawal and later rule change
In February 2018, the Holston Conference withdrew Golladay's license as a United Methodist local pastor after she officiated at a wedding for a same gender couple, contrary to the church's rules at the time.5 Golladay criticized the decision's harm to LGBTQ people and her congregations.6 In 2024, the denomination removed the provisions making same gender weddings a chargeable offense, along with the mandatory penalties.7 Rivermont Presbyterian Church listed Golladay as its preacher for an October 25, 2026 sermon; that listing establishes continuing ministry work, rather than an individual United Methodist licensing decision.8