It's crunch time for local election candidates, and the endorsements continue to roll in.
The United Education Association, one of Memphis' teachers unions, endorsed Mickell Lowery for Shelby County Mayor at a July 29 press conference.
This marks the first time the union has endorsed a county mayoral candidate, Danette Stokes, chair of the organization's Political Action Committee, said at the event, held at the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district office. Members of the association's leadership announced their support for Lowery ahead of the Aug. 6 county general election.
Liz Marable, the union's president, said the endorsement comes with the hope that Lowery will address chronic issues that bleed into the classroom, like poverty, truancy and
housing and food insecurities.
"It cannot be left on educators to do everything," she said. "We hope that the public will see the teachers in Shelby County Schools support someone who will ... fight for every child, regardless of their zip code."
Lowery, the Democratic nominee for county mayor, currently serves on the Shelby County Commission representing District 8, which encompasses Downtown, Frayser, South Memphis, North Memphis and Central Gardens.
He is challenged by John DeBerry, who secured the Republican nomination in the primary election. DeBerry was formerly a Democratic state representative and later a senior advisor to Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
Lowery pledged his support for the union at the endorsement event, citing the importance of public education and his personal ties to it. His parents were both educators, and he referred to teachers as "extended family."
"You always have a supporter and a fighter in me," Lowery said.
Congressional District 5 race gets national attention
President Donald Trump again publicized his support for U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, who is running for reelection in Tennessee's newly redrawn 5th Congressional District.
Trump affirmed his "complete and total endorsement" at a July 28 "tele-rally" phone conversation, briefly speaking to listeners who had dialed in. The president praised Ogles' support of the Trump administration, and urged voters to show their support for the incumbent in the contested Aug. 6 Republican primary.
"Andy will be really enshrined as one of the best congressmen that you'll ever see," Trump boasted of Ogles.
Neither Trump nor Ogles mentioned anything specific to Memphis or Western Tennessee during the event, co-hosted by the Freedom Caucus Fund.
"This is a fight for our nation," Ogles said of the upcoming election.
This week and next
The Memphis City Council will hold its regular meeting at 4 p.m. on Aug. 4 at City Hall, 125 N. Main St. The public can attend in person or online via livestream.
The Shelby County Commission will meet at 3 p.m. on Aug. 10 at Vasco A. Smith, Jr. County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St. The meeting will also be streamed on the commission's YouTube channel.
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Annie Goldman covers government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at annie.goldman@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Endorsements pile up as Memphis, Tennessee elections approach
