Voters have more choices on Aug. 6 than in any other election this year, and several stand out among the dozens of races that will be decided.
There are two separate elections happening Aug. 6: the county general elections and the state and federal primary elections. The county general elections will determine the next Knox County mayor, sheriff and more. The Democratic and Republican primary elections will determine the nominees for Tennessee state house and federal elections Nov. 3.
Locally, Republican candidates have been working to unify their base and persuade voters they're a better choice. Democratic candidates have tried to build on marginal countywide gains and perhaps capture some seats.
Here's what we're keeping our eyes on.
To hear from
the candidates in their own words, check out the Knox News voter's guide.
Knox County mayor
Who's running? Democrat Beau Hawk is running against Republican Betsy Henderson to replace term-limited Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
Democrats have made gains: Republicans have dominated countywide races in recent years, though Democrats have made minor gains.
- In 2018, Linda Haney, the Democrat who ran against Jacobs, got just 34% of the vote.
- In 2020, when there was no mayor's race on the ballot, Jackson Fenner, who ran against Law Director David Buuck, got 37% of the vote.
- In 2022, Debbie Helsley, the Democratic nominee who is now a Knoxville City Council member, got 45% of the voteagainst Jacobs in his reelection bid.
- In 2024, Fenner tried again and got 45% of the vote.
Democrats are counting on moderate Republicans and independents to give Hawk the edge after Republicans rejected more moderate candidates in the primary. Henderson took a hard line against tax increases and is leaning into the tried-and-true strategy of focusing on that.
One standout theme: Hawk and Henderson have both faced scrutiny for past political actions.
Both candidates have some negatives to overcome. Hawk traveled in 2020 with a group to march in support of Nicolas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela who oversaw spectacular economic collapse, rigged elections, food shortages and civil rights abuses. Republicans are hammering the labor leader on that decision. Henderson, while serving as school board chair last year, testified at a Tennessee House hearing in support of private school vouchers even though the board voted against urging lawmakers to expand vouchers.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Knox County trustee
Who's running? Democrat Stephen Hood is running against Republican Nick McBride after voters kicked out Trustee Justin Biggs in the primary.
An office with troubled history: The Trustee's Office has been under a microscope since April 2024 when Knox News revealed a pattern of excessive spending and personal use of county vehicles under Biggs' leadership. It cost him the job.
The office's history of corruption was a major theme in the GOP primary, but the general election has looked different. McBride's campaign is centered on his years of experience as register of deeds and clean ethical record while Hood has positioned himself as an alternative to those who have worked in county government for decades.
One standout theme: This office has a history of corruption. Is the solution someone who has been in county office for years and has a clean record, or is it someone who comes from a different background?
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Knox County Commission District 3
Who's running? Democrat Brandon Huckaby is running against Republican Sheri Super.
Democrats have picked up the district in a separate race: This is a swing district, which makes the race fascinating.
In 2022, Republican Knox County Commission Chair Gina Oster beat the Democratic candidate with just51% of the vote. In 2024, voters in the race for Knox County school board, which shares the same district outline, chose Democrat Patricia Fontenot-Ridley. She won with 53% of the vote.
This year, Huckaby is hoping to pick off moderate and independent voters by sticking to local messaging about issues like affordability, safe neighborhoods and diverse housing.
One standout theme: In the primary, Super ran alongside a group of Republicans who fought hard against new development and attacked Oster for taking money from developers. It worked – by an incredibly slim margin. Super beat Oster by just 11 votes. She has since taken money from developers in the general election campaign.
Super's tax issues: Also factoring into the race is Knox News exclusive reporting that Super owed the IRS $62,508 in 2012 and 2013 and is in debt to Credit One Bank.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Knox County Board of Education District 4
Who's running? Democratic board member Katherine Bike is running against Republican Ashley Sartelle.
The district is turning blue: Political demographics are changing in this district west of downtown that includes Rocky Hill and Sequoyah Hills. Bike was elected in 2022 in the first partisan school board race and got 51% of the vote. In 2024, Democrat Shane Jackson flipped the county commission seat by the same margins as Bike.
One standout theme: This is the only seat that did not have a contested Democratic or Republican primary. Both parties have been unified around their school board candidate all year.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Knox County Board of Education District 9
Who's running? Democrat Brandy Jenkins is running against Republican Bill Sofield.
Two big factors are at play: The first thing to mention is that GOP voters in South Knox County picked a more conservative candidate over longtime board member Kristi Kristy. The second is that this district's political leanings are in flux.
In 2024, Democrats hoped candidate Matthew Park would pick up the district's commission seat after a conservative Republican won the primary election, but that didn't happen. Andy Fox won with 50% of the vote after independent Stacey Bryan Smith took 4%. Now, Democrats hope Jenkins can win over moderates.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Keep an eye on these local contested State House primaries
State Senate District 7
Longtime state Sen. Richard Briggs has a GOP primary challenger, Kent Morrell.
Briggs and Morrell faced off in 2022 and Briggs won 66% of the vote. Morrell hopes to pick apart Briggs' coalition by highlighting his vote to use state funding for a new football stadium in Nashville and the Ford plant in West Tennessee. He's also using the campaign to criticize Briggs' support for narrow medical exemptions to the state's abortion ban.
Briggs argues his business-friendly workforce policies help keep taxes low for neighbors and bring higher paying jobs, a net positive, to the state. Briggs also sponsored bills to reduce excess pain medication prescriptions, which Morrell has railed against. Briggs is the longtime chair of the Tennessee Senate State and Local Government committee.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Bryan Langan in the Nov. 3 general election.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com.
Democrats in State House District 14
Lindsay Young Honaker is running against Shivam Zaveri in the Democratic primary. Honaker has been active with the Democratic Party and appeared with other General Assembly candidates across the state, while Zaveri has not.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face state Rep. Jason Zachary.
Meet the candidates at knoxnews.com
Republicans in State House District 18
State Rep. Elaine Davis has two challengers, Brent Jones and Elliott Schuchardt.
Davis won 56% of the GOP primary vote in 2022 over former Knoxville City Councilmember Janet Testerman. In 2024, Davis was unopposed.
Schudardt is currently suing the chief lawyer of the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility over the decision.
Jones, an attorney and law professor, has found support among the purple area's wealthier donors and industry leaders, including James Clayton Sr., Denark Construction CEO Raja Jubran and Stowers Machinery Corp. Chairman Wes Stowers.
Schudardt practiced law for decades, but was disbarred this spring for a pattern of misconduct involving multiple clients, including neglect, mishandling files, conflicts of interest created when he sued his own clients, making false statements, threatening opposing clients and using threats to gain leverage in litigation.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Bryan Goldberg.
Meet the candidate at knoxnews.com
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: 5 Knox County races to watch and why they matter, plus bonus storylines
