Ayleem Connolly

Current office

• None; candidate in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026, for Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) District 8. (Ballotpedia)

2026 Campaign for MSCS District 8

• Running against fellow Democrat Toshina Williams in the primary; the winner will face independent candidate Leigh Ann Scarbrough in the general election on August 6, 2026. (Ballotpedia)
• Campaign website: voteconnolly.com
• Endorsed by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and the National Women's Political Caucus of West Tennessee. (Vote Connolly; Ballotpedia)

Prior office

• No prior elected office held; former teacher in MSCS from 2015 through 2023. (Chalkbeat)

Education

• Holds two master's degrees in education. (Vote Connolly)

Family

• Mother, wife, and grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to Memphis in 2014. (Vote Connolly; Chalkbeat)

Career

• Former Spanish teacher and Department Chair at East High School. (Vote Connolly; Chalkbeat)
• Previously taught at Trezevant High and Oakhaven High schools. (Vote Connolly; Chalkbeat)
• Currently works as a corporate trainer for a Fortune 500 company and evaluates multi-million dollar projects. (Vote Connolly)

Compiled from publicly available web sources on 2026-04-18.

Public filings

Tennessee law requires candidates and officeholders to file campaign finance reports and a statement of interest. None of the state or county sites below supports direct links to an individual record — you'll need to search by last name on each.

Campaign finance

• State offices (Governor, US Senate, US Rep, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee) — Tennessee Registry of Election Finance . Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Connolly”, and submit.
• Shelby County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — Shelby County Public Campaign Finance Portal . Select the election year and search by candidate name (“Connolly”).

Statement of interest (conflict of interest)

• Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search . Enter last name “Connolly”and, if needed, select the applicable position from the dropdown.