Why did Knox County Mayor Betsy Henderson have such a close election, winning with 52.47% of the vote to the 47.53% received by Democrat Beau Hawk, who truly started as an unknown candidate?
This was the best a Democrat has done in Knox County since the late Tommy Schumpert won over incumbent Republican Dwight Kessel in 1998. There are several factors that influenced the political landscape this year.
First, Henderson had a close three-way contest with now former County Commissioners Larsen Jay and Kim Frazier, who were both credible candidates. She emerged with a plurality, not a majority. And neither Frazier nor Jay openly backed Henderson in the general election.
Second, due to national trends and President Donald Trump's many missteps, Republican
candidates suffered reduced vote totals. Former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs won four years ago over Councilwoman Debbie Helsley with 55% of the vote, and Henderson dropped to 52% even with a photo showing Hawk visiting Venezuela to support former President Nicolas Maduro.
Finally, in my view, had the Democrats nominated either County Commissioners Shane Jackson or Courtney Durrett instead of Hawk to run for county mayor, one of them would have upped the 48% to 50.1%. Hawk already has decided to run for city mayor based on his strong showing. There's precedent for building on a run for county mayor: Helsley converted her strong county effort into a seat on City Council three years ago.
Evan Newman from Greeneville, South Carolina, is chief of staff for Henderson. Newman, 29, will earn $198,000, which is more than any other county employee under 30 years of age makes. He plans on living in downtown Knoxville. In a recent interview he made a pleasant and likeable impression.
He graduated from Curtis Baptist High School in Augusta, Georgia, and conservative Christian Bob Jones University in Greeneville, South Carolina, in 2020 with a BA in history. He has worked for U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who lost to U.S. Sen. Darline Graham for the GOP nomination for Senate a few weeks ago.
Newman will work with members of the County Commission, which includes four Democrats and four very conservative MAGA Republicans, with three members in the middle from an ideological point of view whose votes may often decide the majority. He has a lot to do to help Henderson win a second term in 2030.
Former Vice Mayor Duane Grieve will receive the 2026 Bruce McCarty Community Impact Award on Oct. 14 at the Knoxville Museum of Art. For over 50 years Grieve has helped shape a stronger and more vibrant East Tennessee and Knox County through architecture, historic preservation, civic leadership, education and public service.
He played a pivotal role in the creation of Everly Brothers Park on Kingston Pike. It is a well-deserved recognition for his years of making Knoxville a better place to live. Congratulations.
This years marks the 35th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Muroran, Japan, and Knoxville, and during the August Knox Asian Festival Mayor Takeshi Aoyama came here. During those 35 years Muroran has had three mayors while Knoxville has had five. Mayors Indya Kincannon and Madeline Rogero visited Muroran, which is in northern Japan. All three mayors from Muroran have been to Knoxville. Annually there have been exchanges of students from Knoxville to Muroran and Muroran to Knoxville, which have fostered greater understanding of two different cultures.
Birthdays
Sept. 19: Morgan Zacheretti is 35. Former Public Defender Mark Stephens is 73. Burak Er is 57. Sam Mishu is 62. John Little is 60. Becky Little is 86.
Sept. 20: Christopher J. Cimino is 55. John B. Robertson Jr. is 66. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is 71. Kevin Murphy is 49. Samuel Slavick is 33. Mark Gaylord is 72. Tom Harrington is 87. Dr. George Keough is 60. Mario Pallotta is 25.
Sept. 21: Ty Prince is 67. Robin Harris is 59. Jeff Lee is 81. Steve Oberman is 71. Charles Maland is 77. Lisa Kelechava is 63.
Sept. 22: Chancellor John Weaver is 76. Vance Link is 77. Former Congressman John Tanner is 82. Anne Loy is 88. Brett Richardson is 47. Madeline McAdams is 34. Marite Perez is 41. Janelle C. Coleman is 45. Jerry Sinclair is 76.
Sept. 23: Dale Smith is 74. Terrence Carter is 63. Former Congressman Bob Clement is 83. Kathy Saunders is 68. Attorney Wade Orr is 45. Attorney Tony Farmer is 77. Jesse Mayshark is 57. KCDC's Ben Bentley is 43. Suzanne Coile is 80. Sylvia Peters is 88.
Sept. 24: Carolyn L. Gilliam is 39. Craig A. Myers is 47. Attorney Greg Eshbaugh is 47. Stephanie M. Noble is 55. Elizabeth Stucke is 60. Lisa Plawchan is 50. Attorney Tasha Blakney is 52.
Sept. 25: Former Municipal Judge John Rosson is 79. Leslie Bateman is 45. Troy Whiteside is 30.
Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Knox County Mayor Betsy Henderson faced a close election | Opinion
