State Senator Mark Pody and State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Clark Boyd are being challenged in the 2018 elections.

Senator Pody, a Republican, will face a rematch with Democrat Mary Alice Carfi in the November General Election. The winner will represent District 17 for four years in the State Senate. Pody and Carfi, both of Wilson County, are unopposed in their respective party primaries on August 2.

Noon Thursday, April 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Pody narrowly defeated Carfi in a special election last December to fill the remaining year of former State Senator Mae Beavers’ unexpired term.
Meanwhile State Representative Weaver, a Republican who represents District 40, is facing a primary challenge on August 2 from Chad Z. Williams. Both are from Smith County. Jason Holleman, a Democrat also from Smith County, has filed a petition to run for the office in the Tennessee Democrat Primary in August. If nominated, Holleman would face either Weaver or Williams in the Tennessee General Election in November. The term is for two years. An independent, Teresa Marion of Pleasant Shade has also filed a petition with the state to run for the office in November but her candidate status is still pending according to the Tennessee Division of Elections website.

Republican State Representative Clark Boyd in District 46 is facing a GOP primary challenge in August from Menda McCall Holmes. Both are from Wilson County. Boyd was appointed by the Wilson County Commission to fill the remaining year of former State Representative Mark Pody’s unexpired term after Pody was elected to the State Senate. Meanwhile, two candidates are seeking the Democrat nomination for the District 46 State Representative seat, Mark Cagle of Wilson County and Faye Northcutt-Knox of Cannon County. Winners of the respective primaries in August will square off in the November Tennessee General Election. The term is for two years.

The following candidates have filed petitions to run for state executive committeeman and woman in their party primaries:

Republican State Executive Committeeman-17th District
Jerry Beavers of Wilson County and Dwayne Craighead of Clay County

Democratic State Executive Committeeman-17th District
Aubrey T. Givens of Wilson County

Republican State Executive Committeewoman-17th District
Terri Nicholson of Wilson County
Jennifer Franklin Winfree of DeKalb County

Democratic State Executive Committeewoman-17th District
Carol Brown Andrews of Smith County

All the candidates listed above but Marion have filed duplicate state petitions with the DeKalb County Election Commission.

The race for Mayor of Smithville will be contested on August 2 but the alderman candidates will be unopposed.

Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss will be seeking his 3rd term but he will face a challenge from Josh Miller, who currently serves as alderman. Curtis Rust is also in the race to unseat Mayor Poss.

Incumbent alderman Gayla Hendrix and political newcomer Brandon Cox are unopposed for the two alderman seats up for election.

The terms for mayor and aldermen are each for four years.

Noon Thursday, April 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Meanwhile a mayor and five aldermen will be elected in Liberty on August 2.

Incumbent Liberty Mayor Dwight Mathis will be seeking re-election but Darrell W. Johnson will be trying to unseat him.

The alderman candidates, Dwayne Blair, J.D. Bratten, Derek Johnson, Jason H. Ray, and William Howard Reynolds, Jr., are all running unopposed.

Noon Thursday, August 5 was the qualifying deadline.

Three aldermen are to be elected in Dowelltown on August 2 but only one candidate qualified, Ronald L. Griffith.

Meanwhile in Alexandria a mayor is to be elected on August 2 but no one qualified to run. Only one candidate qualified to run for alderman, Lloyd Dyer. Three full term alderman seats are to be filled along with two unexpired vacant alderman positions.

Although the qualifying deadline has passed for municipal and school board elections, there is still time to become a “write-in” candidate.

“In order for write-in ballots to be counted, a form must be filed no later than noon on the 50th day before the election with the local election commission office,” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley.

Five of the seven seats on the Board of Education will be filled in the DeKalb County General Election on Thursday, August 2 and only one of the races is contested.

In the 2nd district, Incumbent Jerry Wayne Johnson will be challenged for re-election by Thomas Alan Hayes.

Incumbents Danny Parkerson in the 1st district, Jim Beshearse in the 3rd district, Kate Miller in the 4th district, and Shaun Tubbs in the 7th district are unopposed for re-election. The terms are for four years.

Noon today (Thursday) was the qualifying deadline to run for the Board of Education.

The other two seats are held by W.J. (Dub) Evins, III in the 5th district and Doug Stephens in the 6th district. Their terms expire in 2020.

Although the qualifying deadline has passed for municipal and school board elections, there is still time to become a “write-in” candidate.

“In order for write-in ballots to be counted, a form must be filed no later than noon on the 50th day before the election with the local election commission office,” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley.