Biography
Shelley Tatum is the Democratic candidate for Texas House of Representatives District 9 in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1] A retired public school teacher with 35 years in the classroom, she said in a Ballotpedia survey that she is running to increase public school funding and protect East Texas water.[1][2]
Shelley Tatum earned a high school diploma from Lufkin High School and a bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1987.[1] In a Ballotpedia survey, Tatum said she is a retired public school teacher with 35 years of classroom experience, comes from a family of teachers, and has been married 39 years with two grown daughters.[2]
Tatum advanced from the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[1] In the survey, she said the basic per-pupil allotment should be significantly increased and that local school boards should have more decision-making authority.[2] She also said she would support a special aquifer district to protect the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer and would regulate the construction and operation of AI data centers.[2]
- 1.Shelley Tatum · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Shelley Tatum - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Texas House District 9
Shelley Tatum is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Texas House District 9 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.