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In the 6th District, which stretches from Burlington in East Knoxville through downtown to Pond Gap in West Knoxville, McKenzie led the field of three candidates with 52.22 percent of the vote. If they think I’m more authentic, they’ll vote for me.”
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“If they think Tommy is more authentic, it will be Tommy. “I think people are drawn to authenticity,” she said. “I’m not starting from scratch,” he said.Īccording to Murphy, her strong showing in the district primary will help her with all city voters in the primary, but the race will boil down to trust. “The people I’ve helped turned around and helped me, and I can turn around and help other folks,” he said.Īs for his prospects in the citywide general election, Smith said he knows people across Knoxville who are familiar with his service to the community. Smith, who was appointed to finish the unexpired term of Stephanie Welch after she stepped down to become a deputy to Mayor Indya Kincannon, said he felt grateful to the 1st District voters. City Council Movement candidate David Hayes finished third with 16.43 percent. He garnered 53.34 percent of the vote, with Murphy, a Republican-backed conservative, coming in second with 3o.23 percent. Smith finished in first place by a comfortable spread. The 1st District contest was another three-person race. Klonaris said he and the other conservative candidates on the ballot have been emphasizing public safety and crime, which he called the No. “Holding your own against an incumbent is a big deal.” “I’m very pleased with the results,” Klonaris said. Bill Dunn and Knox County Republican Party Chair Daniel Herrera were among the well-wishers. Klonaris hosted all the Republican-backed candidates at the Press Room, an event space he owns in North Knoxville not far from Relix.
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She talked about her work on nuts and bolts issues like the city’s zoning code and neighborhood traffic calming, as well as big-picture challenges like homelessness and mental health care. “I think tonight's results tell us that people want a progressive city that has recreational opportunities, that's bringing jobs, that’s keeping our young graduates here,” Rider said. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, and Knox County Democratic Party Chair Matt Shears.
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Among those in attendance were Singh, state Rep. The 4th District by far generated the highest turnout, with 3,687 votes cast by absentee ballot, in early voting and on Election Day.Īs the results came in, Rider gathered with friends and supporters at Relix on North Central Street, just a few blocks from her Old North Knoxville home. Jen McMahon, the City Council Movement candidate in the race, finished a distant third with 9.66 percent. Rider came in first with 48.25 percent of the vote, with Klonaris close behind with 42.09 percent. The closest contest came in the 4th District, which stretches from the edge of downtown north to Fountain City and east to Holston Hills, with a finger out to Strawberry Plains. Only a little more than one-third of the overall vote came on Tuesday. Turnout was relatively heavy in early voting, at least compared to previous similar elections, but a soggy Election Day seemed to keep voters away from the polls.
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The incumbents could generally be described as center-left Democrats. So far, the Knox County Democratic Party has stayed on the sidelines, for the most part, as both parties have traditionally done in city elections. The local GOP has made the nominally nonpartisan city elections a priority this year. “If this is any indication of the November election, it’s going to get crazy.” “I’m impressed with the Republican campaigns,” Klonaris said. The conservative slate of candidates backed by the Knox County Republican Party - Garrett Holt, Elizabeth Murphy, Jim Klonaris, Kim Smith and Nick Ciparro - each came in second in their district races. “We’re just going to continue to run on what we’ve done - collaboration and partnerships,” McKenzie said. Council members Andrew Roberto and Seema Singh will also advance after finishing first in their districts. Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie and Council members Tommy Smith and Lauren Rider finished first in three-person contests. The progressive City Council Movement failed to push a candidate forward for the first time in the last three election cycles. The five incumbent City Council members defended their home turf during Tuesday’s primary, but the five Republican-backed candidates had a strong showing to set up the citywide general election.Īfter a relatively robust early voting period, a steady rain kept primary Election Day turnout down.
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