He won Beth Harwell's long time seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, but Representative Bob Freeman is also a winner in martial arts.
Rep. Freeman's victory over Republican Brent Moody is significant because the district 56 seat has remained red for 30 years. The freshman lawmaker joins the democratic caucus as a moderate voice in the legislature.
"The reality is, more people fit somewhere in the middle," said Freeman. "We're told by party elites and the parties that we need to be on either end. You talk to most people and they feel like they fit somewhere in the middle. They regularly will say to me I don't feel like I have a place on either party. That's because we've come to this hyper partisan political scene."
Despite claiming a different political affiliation, Freeman said he hopes to continue in the tradition of Harwell, who he said is herself more moderate than many politicians.
Freeman is not only accomplished in business and realty, he's also a competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete.
"I had to take some time off during the campaign. So, it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to train regularly. For years I would do three or four times a week," he said.
Freeman is a member of Artista Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Green Hills. He's been training for seven years and is a brown belt, a high level for the martial art.
"I was trying to figure out a way as I got older and I had kids to do something active. And this kind of fell in my lap. It's been amazing. I really enjoy it," he said.
Freeman said in 2016 he competed in a world competition in Las Vegas, NV, where he took third place in his age bracket and weight class.
"The thing that I always enjoyed about Jiu Jitsu and wrestling and grappling in general, it's not about who's strongest, fastest, biggest, it's about who understands the sport, who studies the most and who puts in the work," he said.
Freeman looks forward to the next session beginning on January 8.
