Say what you want about the other two, but Chris Caldwell has been a long-time truth-teller. I'm glad he's staying on. I hope he doesn't get chucked when he breaks the bad budget news to Betsy.
WBIR has this story about how a Roane County Commission seat is currently separated by two votes, with two provisional ballots yet to be counted. If both the provisional ballots are able to be counted and go for Ferguson, the race will be a tie and the County Commission will decide the winner. In which case, just one more person voting for Ferguson would've swung the election in his favor.
I really hoped that we learned our lesson after the 2017 Knoxville City Council tie that every vote matters. But then I read some of the comments on this subreddit and it became apparent that many people are still not going to vote in local elections because they don't believe their singular vote matters. Well, here's proof yet again that one vote could have made an impact in an election.
Please vote. Your vote could swing an election.
Thursday Night's closest election may have been for Farragut Mayor. With the current Mayor not running, two Independent candidates vied to replace him: Louise Povlin and Alex Cain.
Alex Cain prevailed over Louise Povlin by 65 votes, 3099 to 3034. Povlin was fairly non-partisan and had support from both sides of the aisle.
Instead, Farragut elected this person to be Mayor: Attorney for Farragut mayoral candidate says questions about his past employment with Knox County Schools are 'politics as usual' | wbir.com.
Farragut, this is the person you just elected Mayor of your Town. Congratulations.
Title is the post. Long lines at some polling places.
91% of registered Knox County voters haven't voted yet. We still have six days of early voting so if you haven't voted, make a plan and follow through! It took me less than five minutes to vote last week.
Once again, older generations are deciding our future. Just 8% of voters are under 35; 19% are 35-55. That means 73% of voters are over 55. We have to do a better job spreading the word about this election to our friends.
If you have questions about this election, here are some resources that you may find helpful:
Election Commission website with early voting locations and times, plus sample ballots
When I talk to my friends on the political left, they believe that Beau Hawk is going to win the County Mayor's race in August. They point out how last election Republican incumbent Glenn Jacobs only beat Democrat Debbie Helsley by 6,000 votes or 10 percentage points in a year that favored Republicans nationwide. They also mention how 2026 is setting up to be a banner year for Democrats nationwide.
But in the words of Tip O'Neill, all politics is local. I don't think those on the left understand how popular Betsy Henderson is with the local MAGA crowd. Her promise not to raise taxes was something that started her rise in popularity (yes, I know it is the County Commission who decides the tax rate, not the Mayor). But it is her fighting of culture-war issues that really endured her to MAGA. They are not just going to vote for her, but they are going to work to make sure that other residents—MAGA or not—vote for her as well.
If you want Beau Hawk to win, you're going to have to work as well. Phone bank for Hawk. Go canvasing. Post online on the importance of this election and the differences between the two candidates. Remind your friends that Early Voting is July 17th through the 27th with Election Day on Thursday, August 6th. Do whatever to get the word out.
This election is not unwinnable for Hawk. But if you want him to succeed, you—yes, you!—are going to have to work.
Before anyone comments, it sounds like the Trump bridge is the new bridge to replace the current one.
Also, sounds like Jefferson County had no control in naming the bridge. It appears it was all the State.
I don't know about you, but I had a blast this weekend in Knoxville! Freedom Thighs is one of the coolest events we do in Knoxville and is was so great catching up with so many people. Then going to World's Fair Park and listening to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra was great too. And the fireworks display reminded me of so many Boomsdays in the past.
I had so much fun this weekend and I hope everyone else did too! If you missed these events, I hope you check them out next year.
It won't be half as good as Burger Boys.
Speaking of which, Burger Boys reopens on July 6th on Broadway.
Let's support local businesses owned by people who live in our community. Not national chains owned by trust-fund babies who could care less about us.
Andy Fox's presentation on "March Muslim Madness" at the Monday, May 18th County Commission meeting has been postponed for yet another month.
What is "March Muslim Madness"? We're going to have to wait until the June County Commission meeting to find out. He gave some hints last month when he said, "I believe that Islam is not compatible with Western civilization." However, he decided to postpone his presentation last month until this month--and now he's postponing it again.
Though he did not present last month, a Knoxville resident spoke during the public comment period about being a victim of a local terrorist attack. This is what she had to say. I urge you to watch every minute of her passionate speech. This is how Commissioner Fox responded to the victim of the attack.
Andy Fox won his County Commission seat by 223 votes.
This will be the first of two votes on it. If it passes tonight, they'll vote again in two weeks for final approval.
Outdoor patios are not included but indoor spaces will be. This includes Preservation Pub, Urban Bar, Marie's, Half Barrel, Cool Beans, and many more.
I've seen some comments asking why didn't Kim Frazier drop out of the County Mayor's race and endorse Larsen Jay. I want to take a second and try to explain what I believe was her rationale for not dropping out and "splitting the vote."
A lot of people today view politics on a spectrum: left, middle, and right. But local politics is a lot more nuanced than that. While Frazier and Jay were more moderate when it came to social issues, they were diametrically apart when it came to land use and development.
Jay was heavily funded by the traditional developers in Knox County. As such, they expected him to make things as easy and cheap as possible to build as many single family houses on the edges of the County.
Meanwhile, Frazier's number one issue was better planning. We shouldn't build houses in areas without adequate infrastructure, she said. In her opinion, the developers should have to pay for necessary infrastructure improvements. This flies in the face of Jay who frequently voted on County Commission for the interest of developers--which makes sense because they are the ones bankrolling is campaign.
Because better planning was Frazier's number one issue and Frazier and Jay had such differing views on it, she could not simply drop out and endorse Jay. Further, even if she did drop out, her core base of supporters in rural and suburbanizing areas would likely vote Henderson instead because they saw how Jay voted on County Commission on land use and planning issues. Either way, it would've led to a Betsy Henderson victory.
I thought Frazier would do better than she did. I think part of her problem is that Henderson's campaign painted Frazier as being "for the developers" without any proof when the exact opposite was true. While it paid off for Henderson in the Primary, there may be some Frazier voters who are completely turned-off by Henderson's rhetoric against their candidate.
I'm sorry for another political post about local elections. I just thought I should bring a little clarity on what I guess her thought process was.
By now, you probably know that the Knox County Primaries are on Tuesday. I hope you do your civic duty and vote. I believe there will be several close elections that could be decided by a handful of votes. The last time there was a contested Republican Primary for County Mayor, just 23 votes separated Glenn Jacobs from Brad Anders. Had Anders received 24 more votes, it would have likely ended the political career of Glenn Jacobs.
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Voter resources
Voting Location Search (you have to vote in your assigned location on Tuesday)
Election Guides
Reddit's Knox County Voter's Guide - Updated : r/Knoxville
KnoxOoze Election Guide for Mayor and Sheriff
Easy-to-Skim Knox County 2026 Election Guide
Knox County Primary 2026: The Compass Guide | Compass
There have also been several posts on this subreddit about specific races, from Judge to Trustee to County Mayor to Sheriff. Use the search bar to find them.
The News Sentinel asked both Republican Candidates for the General Sessions Court Judge position who is someone they admire. This is their responses:
Andrea Kline:
>Abraham Lincoln’s a great leader, George Washington. (They exhibited) humility, stepping up and taking a leadership role in touch times, but also understanding letting the position get to their heads and trying to do what’s right for the country and not what’s best for them personally.
Rhonda Lee:
>I look up to (Supreme Court Justice) Clarence Thomas. Obviously I look up to our president, Donald Trump. He’s a man who’s almost 80 years old and he delegates a lot of duties and carries a heavy load.
Who would you rather have as a Judge: the one with heavy bipartisan support by Knoxville Bar Association members? Or the one who looks up to a career grifter on the Supreme Court? The winner of this race is almost certainly coming from Tuesday's Republican Primary. If you care, you have to vote in the Republican Primary on Tuesday.
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Voting Location Search (you have to vote in your assigned location on Tuesday)
KnoxOoze Election Guide for Mayor and Sheriff
Easy-to-Skim Knox County 2026 Election Guide
Knox County Primary 2026: The Compass Guide | Compass
UPDATED 4/28 Reddit's Knox County Voter's Guide - Updated : r/Knoxville
That is the difference between knowing who Glenn Jacobs is and not.
In the 2018 Republican Primary, Glenn Jacobs beat Brad Anders by 23 votes. Had just 23 more people voted for Anders, Glenn Jacobs would have seen his political career dry-up before it began. We wouldn't be hearing him on Fox News or OANN. He wouldn't be angling for an appointment to US Senate when Marsha Blackburn presumably wins the Governor's race this fall.
Do you remember fellow wrestler-turned-local-politician Devin Driscoll? That's how much you would have remembered Glenn Jacobs if just 23 more people had voted for Brad Anders.
If you think Glenn Jacobs is bad, just wait to hear about current candidate Betsy Henderson. She's running as the far-right candidate for County Mayor. As the Knox County School Board Chair, she went to Nashville to campaign for school vouchers even though the board was against vouchers. During her time on school board, she focused too much on culture-war issues and too little on local ones. Ask any KCS Teacher their opinion on Henderson. Last year, there was a petition to have her removed. She is endorsed by Far-Right Commissioner Andy Fox and they both use consultant Erik Wiatr who has become known for his candidates fighting culture-wars instead of fixing local issues. During her campaign for Mayor, she has also told several misstatements and lies.
The winner of the Republican Primary will likely win the County Mayor position. If you want a say in who the leader of the County is, you need to vote in the Republican Primary. As we saw in 2018, every vote matters in the Primary.
Thursday is the last day to Early Vote. Election Day is next Tuesday May 5th.
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Election Commission website with early voting locations and times
KnoxOoze Election Guide for Mayor and Sheriff
Easy-to-Skim Knox County 2026 Election Guide
NEWLY UNPAYWALLED: Knox County Primary 2026: The Compass Guide | Compass
UPDATED 4/28 Reddit's Knox County Voter's Guide - Updated : r/Knoxville
(Background information: Knox County Commissioner Andy Fox: "I believe that Islam is not compatible with Western civilization" : r/Knoxville)
Commissioner Andy Fox was to speak at County Commission today about what he was calling "March Madness," later retitled "March Muslim Madness." But online on Friday, he says he plans to postpone this discussion due to the impending election: Monday agenda - Knox County Commission
Yassin Terou of Yassin's fame has this response to Fox: Yassin Syrian - A public email from Commissioner Andy Fox... | Facebook
Yassin's last paragraph especially rings true. Early voting for the Knox County Republican Primary is happening now. Betsy Henderson is running for County Mayor and is using the same consultant as Fox did for his County Commission run. Not surprisingly, they hold some of the same beliefs and Fox is endorsing Henderson for County Mayor.
If you want your local government to work on solving problems instead of talking about "March Muslim Madness," you have to vote. Early voting ends Thursday; Primary Day is next Tuesday May 5th.
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Election Commission website with early voting locations and times
KnoxOoze Election Guide for Mayor and Sheriff
Saw this on WBIR's Inside Tennessee:
Of the 12,000 early voters thus far in the Republican Primary, 73% of voters are over 60. Less than 10% are under the age of 45.
I know several Redditors are voting in this Primary because I see your comments and posts. But we got to do a better job getting our age groups out voting. Having just 9.77% of voters in the Republican Primary under the age of 45 will have an impact on the election.
If you're thinking about skipping this Primary, please don't. Many races will be decided in the Republican Primary, including some where no Democratic candidate filed.
If you haven't voted yet, make a plan to do so this week. Early voting runs until Thursday. Primary Day is May 5th.
Election Commission website with early voting locations and times
KnoxOoze Election Guide for Mayor and Sheriff
