The Republican and Democratic State Primaries saw some upsets last Thursday, including Smithville’s own Michael Hale unseating longtime 40th District State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver. Weaver was a 14-year veteran of the House and carried only Smith County in the Republican Primary.
Hale came away with the victory 6,696 to 4,542 district wide, and carried DeKalb with 2,392 votes compared to Weaver’s 1,152. Hale also won in Jackson County 1,175 to 722, Cannon 1,422 to 830, and in a section of Wilson County 173 to 160. Weaver narrowly won in her home county, Smith, 1,678 to 1,534.
Having secured the Republican nomination, Hale will now face Democrat Tom Cook in the November 8, Tennessee General Election. Cook, also a DeKalb County resident, won the Democratic nomination unopposed. He received 1,464 votes in the district including 504 in DeKalb County.
Other tallies from the State Primaries include GOP Governor Bill Lee, who received 494,195 unopposed votes statewide, including 2,893 in DeKalb. Lee will face Democratic challenger Jason Brantley Martin in November, who received 101,221 votes statewide, 302 in DeKalb. Martin beat out J.B. Smiley, who had 99,753 statewide and 111 in DeKalb, and Carnita Faye Atwater who had 56,061 statewide, 158 in DeKalb.
In the United States House of Representatives District 6 race, incumbent John Rose came away with 57,115 Republican votes districtwide, and 2,626 in DeKalb. He will face Democratic challenger Randal Cooper, who came away with 17,071 votes in the district, 398 in DeKalb. Cooper beat Democrat Clay Faircloth in the primary, who had 5,798 district votes and 123 DeKalb votes.
In the District 16 State Executive Committeeman race, unopposed GOP candidate Jerry S. Anderson won with 2,138 votes in DeKalb, and 20,665 in the district, while Amy L. Dennis won her GOP nomination for District 16 State Executive Committeewoman, with 2,108 in DeKalb and 20,157 in the district.
Sheila Younglove gained the Executive Committeewoman nomination on the Democratic side with 4,911 unopposed votes and 490 in DeKalb, while Bobby Eddress Bush Jr. won the Committeeman race with 4,684 district votes and 454 in DeKalb.
