It was a bad night for Democrats nationally, but November 2 brought joy to the supporters of five Knoxville City Council members – all of whom are Democrats – who were re-elected handily over a slate of Republican challengers.
City races are non-partisan, but the challengers and the GOP operatives who funded them repeatedly boasted that they would sweep the incumbents into the gutter.
I’m going to go out on a limb and proclaim the two biggest winners – Knox County Democratic Party chair Matt Shears and Mayor Indya Kincannon – who weren’t even on the ballot. Shears makes my top two because he directed the 11th-hour effort that thwarted the well-funded Republican takeover attempt; Kincannon because her 2023 re-election prospects look considerably brighter today.
Shears’ son, Henry, is 3 weeks old, and Shears has been on paternity leave from his paying job and hadn’t planned on getting deeply involved in the council races until a little over two weeks ago when, he says, the Republicans just pushed him too far.
“I believe these races should remain non-partisan but there was a point where the GOP was spreading so many blatant lies and bringing in so much outside money that I decided we could not just sit by and not respond,” he said.
“I was not going to let them gain an inch, not under my watch. Democrats are on the offensive in Knox County and Republicans are on the defensive. We are more united, energized and engaged than the Knox GOP. The last few years have shown cracks in the GOP’s hold here and it’s no longer a matter of if, but when the political shift happens.”
This is big talk in a county where Republicans hold a 60/40 advantage over Democrats and enjoy a stranglehold on county government and the state legislative delegation. But those numbers are reversed in the city, which is (like most urban areas) a dot of blue in a blood-red political landscape. Republicans find this phenomenon a hard pill to swallow, and this year newly-elected Knox County GOP chair Daniel Herrera, a relative newcomer to Knox County (he doesn’t live in the city) vowed to change it.
Sandra Clark, who attended the GOP’s organizational meeting this spring reported Herrera’s campaign spiel (here):
“Are you tired of the lying liberal media? Tired of the socialist-controlled (Knoxville) city council? As the proud owner of an AR-15 … I’ll be aggressive and ruthless” in promoting Republican values. “And I commit to put $125,000 in our bank account.
Shears used to find this kind of braggadocio mildly amusing. But by mid-October it was no longer funny.
“The local Republicans have become an absolute laughingstock – recruiting candidates who drink pee, sending out mailers with disinformation, forgetting their candidates’ names and more,” he said.
Herrera, who predicted a sweep and got one – for the opposition – has doubled down on his bluster with promises to get ’em next time while taking credit for the higher-than average voter turnout.
“We are proud of our work in Knoxville. I regret nothing and will not apologize. In fact, I am excited for what comes next. The Knox County Republican Party forced the incumbents to run an actual campaign and spend their donor’s (sic) money. Our party more than doubled voter turnout in the city election. We are not giving up. Tonight is the starting line. We are dedicated to staying involved in the city of Knoxville and will get involved in the next mayoral race.
“Thank you, Republicans! We’re in this together!”
I haven’t asked them, but I’m willing to bet that if his phone never rings, it will be incumbent council members Lynne Fugate and Janet Testerman (both Republicans, but not the gun-toting Trump-quoting kind), who will be up for re-election in 2023. Herrera and his merry men have made their path considerably rockier.
Gwen McKenzie and her dog
And finally, Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie, perhaps the highest-profile Democrat among this year’s incumbent candidates, is a close runner-up for Biggest Winner. Her campaign style is not as frenetic as many of her colleagues, and some of her supporters were worried that she wasn’t doing enough to win. She compounded their fears Tuesday morning when her most pressing Election Day concern appeared to be finding the owner of a Yorkshire terrier that wandered into her yard. McKenzie posted video after video of the tiny, frightened pooch on her Facebook page, culminating with a happy reunion with the dog’s owner.
McKenzie ended up winning by the biggest margin of the day and made it look easy.
Betty Bean writes a Thursday opinion column for KnoxTNToday.com.