Two well-known figures in local politics announced Sept. 7 they are running to replace term-limited Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon in 2027.
Beau Hawk, the labor organizer and ironworker who engineered the best showing for Democrats in a race for Knox County mayor this century, announced his candidacy at a Knoxville-Oak Ridge Central Labor Council picnic Sept. 7.
Hours after Hawk announced his run, two-term Knoxville Councilmember Amelia Parker announced her candidacy. Parker is a founder of the City Council Movement and won a landslide reelection in 2023 for her at-large seat representing the whole city.
The candidacies of Hawk and Parker introduce an interesting dynamic to the race because both are progressives who have emphasized priorities
such as affordable housing, workers rights and advancing a more populist style of governing.
"I was inspired by the number of people who reached out after Aug. 6 (the Knox County election) and I listened," Hawk told Knox News in a text. "I'm excited to continue building the momentum from this year as we move into the 2027 election."
Only Parker has experience in Knoxville public office, and a track record of winning elections. In 2023, she won reelection by defeating well-funded and well-known challenger Tim Hill, a commercial developer and member of the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, in the citywide at-large council race.
Parker, the executive director of Peace Brigades International–USA, was first elected in 2019. She is the first Black person to represent the whole city as an at-large councilmember. She often is the lone dissenting vote against Mayor Indya Kincannon's policies. Parker has repeatedly worked to change the city's system to give councilmembers more power over budgeting. Currently, the city council has very little ability to check the mayor's power.
Parker is a leader in the Knoxville City Council Movement, which supports "candidates who champion people-centered policies and investments in disenfranchised communities," according to its website. Its members, including Parker, are strong advocates for programs like alternative response, which dispatches a mental health expert instead of a police officer to calls that involve a person in a mental health crisis. Most recently, Parker has advocated for the resignation of KPD Chief Paul Noel after he was suspended for engaging in sexually charged text conversations with a a subordinate.
Hawk received 47.5% of the Aug. 6 vote countywide against Mayor Betsy Henderson, a major win for Democrats given that countywide races are typically cakewalks for Republicans. Hawk likely benefited from some of the tailwinds propelling other Democratic candidates across the country: He's young, has labor experience and focused his campaign on affordability.
Knoxville races are nonpartisan, and it's too early to know whether Hawk will have the backing of the same progressive coalition that supported him in the partisan county race, especially with Parker also in the race.
County Republicans used a trip Hawk made in 2020 to march in Venezuela in at a pro-Nicolas Maduro rally to try to tie him and Democrats to communism, Marxism and socialism, similar to the tactics playing out in national politics. Hawk told Knox News he does not agree with Maduro's beliefs and was in Venezuela to support the labor movement. Democrats turned out enthusiastically for Hawk, propelling him to within 4,352 votes of Henderson in heavily Republican Knox County.
The primary election is Aug. 31. If a candidate for mayor or municipal judge gets a majority of the vote, there is not a runoff. Regardless of the August outcome in the city council primaries, there will be a runoff for those in the Nov. 2 general election.
In addition to mayor, Knoxville voters will choose three citywide councilmembers, the District 5 councilmember and the municipal judge.
Voters will also weigh in on a proposed changethat would eliminate the need for a runoff race for city council seats if one candidate gets 50% + 1 vote in primary elections after 2027.
Mortgage banker Jeff Talman told Knox News on Sept. 1 he's also planning to run for city mayor. Talman ran unsuccessfully for city mayor in 2023 and city council in 2025.
The candidates have until May 20 to file the paperwork to appear on the ballot.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Two well-known local political figures join the 2027 race for Knoxville mayor
