Shanda M. Yates (born March 29, 1982) is an American politician, representing the 64th district in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

since 2020. She is an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Early life and education

Yates was born on March 29, 1982, in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. She graduated from

Hinds Community College Hinds Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Raymond, Mississippi, United States and branches in Jackson, Pearl, Utica, and Vicksburg. The Hinds Community College District includes the counties of Hinds, Cla ...

in 2001 with an

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

and then enrolled at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

, graduating with honors and a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in English. She received her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

Mississippi College School of Law Mississippi College School of Law (MC Law or MC Law School) is an American Bar Association accredited law school. MC Law is one of two law schools in the state of Mississippi, and is the only law school in the capital city of Jackson, Mississipp ...

in 2007, where she also served as an editor for the Mississippi College Law Review. She was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2007.

Career

Yates practices as a partner with her husband as an attorney. In February 2019, Mississippi Democratic House Minority Leader

David Baria David Wayne Baria (born December 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney. A trial lawyer by profession, Baria served as a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives representing the 122nd district until the end of the 2 ...

asked Yates if she wished to run against

Bill Denny William Joseph Denny (6 December 1872 – 2 May 1946) was an Australian journalist, lawyer, politician and decorated soldier who held the South Australian House of Assembly seats of West Adelaide from 1900 to 1902 and then Adelaide fro ...

in the Mississippi House, a 32-year house incumbent of the 64th district and House Republican

Floor Leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are thei ...

. She decided to run after initial reluctance, and over the months that followed, Yates and her campaign knocked on around 10,000 doors. Her campaign received assistance from national organizations like

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

-based

Sister District Sister District is a political group in the United States aiming to elect Democrats in swing statehouse districts with Republican incumbents. Safe districts provide funds and volunteers. History The Sister District Project is a woman-led oper ...

, an organization that targets GOP-held seats. She proceeded through the Democratic Primary unopposed and, in the general election, won against Denny by 168 votes, a 51%–49% margin. She assumed office on January 7, 2020. As of 2021, she serves on the following committees: Compilation, Revision and Publication; Corrections; Insurance; Judiciary B; Judiciary En Banc; and Transportation. Since 2020, she has served as Deputy Chair for the Mississippi House Democratic caucus leadership. In January 2022, she left the Democratic Party and became an

Political positions

Yate's top priorities when running for election were increasing school funding and addressing infrastructure problems. In 2020, Yates voted yes on the bill to change the Mississippi State Flag.

Personal life

Yates is married to Yancy Burns, and they have one child. She and her husband are

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yates, Shanda 1982 births Living people Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Mississippi Democrats Mississippi independents Hinds Community College alumni University of Southern Mississippi alumni Mississippi College School of Law alumni Mississippi lawyers Women state legislators in Mississippi Politicians from Jackson, Mississippi 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Mississippi Legislature