Meet Michaela
Meet Michaela
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She’s not fighting for corporate interests, the Democratic establishment, or for personal gain.
Michaela is fighting for East Tennessee.
Michaela Barnett is a scientist, small business owner, and spent the last year working in Congress — so she knows firsthand what isn’t working, why, and what to do about it.
While Republicans gave the wealthy a massive tax break on the backs of working families, gutted the federal workforce, and made ICE the biggest police force in the United States, many Democrats in D.C. responded with tactics from an old playbook that don't meet the urgency of the moment we are in. They aren't fighting back — they're waiting it out.
That’s not how we change our country for the better. We can’t just wait and hope that we swing a few seats in the midterms by being exactly the same party that keeps losing the working class.
Michaela knows that we can't just be a voice in opposition — we have to show the American people our vision for the future, our plan for how we're going to achieve it, and fight for it with all our might.
A life of service and action
A life of service and action
Michaela is the kind of person who doesn't just see things the way they are. She sees how they could be, then puts that vision to work.
In high school, she was putting on dress drives, starting recycling programs, and organizing visits to local nursing homes.
In college, she started her university's first campus-wide composting program, worked at a local family-owned farm, and served as a GED tutor.
As an AmeriCorps member at UT Recycling, she launched the UT Free Store, the Grow Lab, and grew the campus-wide food recovery program, three programs that continue to thrive today.
Scientist & Entrepreneur
Scientist & Entrepreneur
Michaela's lifelong drive to make things better is why she went back to school for her PhD, and why she started her small business.
After a year serving as an AmeriCorps member, Michaela wanted more tools in her tool belt to solve society's biggest issues.
While doing her PhD research on problems with our waste system, Michaela decided she would help solve them - not just study them.
She launched her small business, KnoxFill, while she was a full-time graduate student. KnoxFill, a refillery focused on sustainability, community, and uplifting other small businesses, quickly became a Knoxville staple serving thousands of East Tennesseans.
A Year Serving in Congress
A Year Serving in Congress
As a scientist and entrepreneur, Michaela knew two important levers to create positive change in the world.
But she wanted more tools to create impact, which led her to a science policy fellowship in our nation's capital.
She worked in the House of Representatives in the office of Congressman Tonko, where she covered the immigration, Social Security, financial services, taxes, housing, and women's health portfolios.
Michaela started her fellowship in September 2024, placing her on the front lines in the fight against DOGE, the Trump administration's disregard of the Constitution, and the passage of the OBBBA reconciliation bill, which will have devastating consequences in East Tennessee if we fail to fight back.
The problems we are facing are huge and overwhelming.
But they are not unsolvable.
A better future is possible - but we can't just hope for it. We have to work for it.
Let's put hope to work.
This is going to take all of us. Are you in?
This is going to take all of us. Are you in?