Tennessee
Editor’s notebook: A look at Tennessee’s primary election
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As a news organization that exclusively covers politics and policy, the staff of the Tennessee Lookout lives for Election Days like Thursday’s primary. To use a sports analogy, it’s not quite the Super Bowl — that comes on the Nov. 5 federal election — but it’s at least the AFC and NFC championship games.
We’ll give you the lowdown on top of the ticket races, like the four-way Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate and the only contested congressional primary, the race between well-funded Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston and first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.
Even for a statewide news outlet like the Lookout, covering every down-ballot race — 23 contested state House races and eight contested Senate races — is impossible. So we’ll be looking at the most competitive of each and the issues influencing the election.
We’d like to share our game plan for covering the election with you, and give you an overview of what you can expect from us.
School vouchers
After Gov. Bill Lee’s universal private school voucher plan failed during the last legislative session, he announced he would try again in the upcoming session. As Adam Friedman has reported, several national pro-voucher organizations have spent millions in “dark money” — the groups use a governing structure that allows them to hide who many of their donors are — to back incumbents and candidates favorable to vouchers.
Gov. Bill Lee
Lee has endorsed a host of pro-voucher incumbents and candidates, but the outcome of those races will be as much of a referendum on Lee as on vouchers.
Of particular note is the House 65 race, Lee’s home district in Williamson County. The governor has endorsed political newcomer Lee Reeves, who favors vouchers and has received nearly $1 million in outside support from voucher groups. Williamson County has the best public school system in the state, a reason many families live there.
Brian Beathard, a four-term county commissioner backed by retiring Rep. Sam Whitson and a host of other Republican elected officials, has been less than full-throated in his views on vouchers, but a win by Beathard would be a loss for Lee’s credibility.
Hot Senate races
Gallatin Sen. Ferrell Haile is leaning into conservative talking points as he tries to beat back a challenge from Chris Spencer, co-founder of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans. Haile’s ads highlight immigration issues, which have little practical impact on Tennessee voters but appeal to the Republican base.
All political eyes are on the East Tennessee matchup between Sen. Jon Lundberg and first-time candidate Bobby Harshbarger, nephew of 1st District U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a Trump loyalist. The issue doesn’t appear to be school vouchers: Lundberg negotiated the Senate version of Lee’s plan.
The Lundberg-Harshbarger race has been one of the most hostile of the election cycle.
Meanwhile, in House races . . .
One of the more interesting primaries on the House side is the contest between GOP Rep. Patsy Hazlewood of Signal Mountain and challenger Michelle Reneau, a Constitutional Republican.
Democrats also have a few primaries in play, including the race in Memphis to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Dwayne Thompson in District 96. Gabby Salinas, who lost to former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey by about 1%, has been endorsed by Thompson. But in a five-way, low turnout primary, she’s not a shoo-in.
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Nashville’s House District 60 features a match-up between Shaundelle Brooks, a longtime gun safety advocate who came to politics after her son was murdered in a 2018 mass shooting at Nashville Waffle House, and neighborhood activist Tyler Brasher. The race has engendered bad blood between supporters of both candidates, as accusations of racism have been thrown — Brooks is Black — and questions raised about financial disclosures.
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In Knoxville, Rep. Sam McKenzie, chair of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, will try to beat back a challenge from former Knox County Commissioner Dasha Lundy, who has received support from school voucher organizations.
Of course, there are other races we’ll cover. While we can’t get to them all, we promise to do our best to bring you fast and accurate coverage on the winners that will shape Tennessee policy over the next few years.
See you on Election Day.
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Tennessee shifted over toward Mikaylah Williams. So the LSU women’s basketball team’s star junior peered across the lane and roped a pass over the defense and down to Flau’jae Johnson, who buried a 3-pointer from the corner.
That bucket was an important one. It didn’t just give the No. 6 Tigers (25-4, 11-4 SEC) a 12-point lead late in the third quarter. It also marked the point at which they took control of their 89-73 win over the Lady Vols on Thursday — a victory orchestrated by their three-star guards.
Williams tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 18 points, grabbed six boards, blocked four shots and assisted three others. Johnson, on her senior night, shot only 3 of 10 from the field and 3 of 9 at the free-throw line but still finished with 10 points, becoming one of four LSU contributors to score in double figures.
The Tigers have now clinched a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the fifth year in a row.
“Today it was,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “don’t settle for anything outside the paint until they take charges or they stop you. You just go right to the paint, and you score, and I thought we did that.”
Tennessee runs a unique system. Second-year coach Kim Caldwell makes hockey-style line changes, engages a full-court press for the whole game and encourages the Lady Vols (16-11, 8-7) to let their 3-pointers fly. They’re certainly dangerous. But they did enter Thursday’s matchup with losses in seven of their past nine games.
LSU was in much better shape. It just needed to collect Tennessee’s misses and minimize its turnovers to get the win, which it did, for the most part, in the second half. The Tigers may have allowed the Lady Vols to shoot 11 of 29 from beyond the arc, but they also gave up only seven offensive rebounds and coughed up just four possessions across the third and fourth quarters.
Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson added 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while Grace Knox — another freshman forward — chipped in 13 points and nine boards. Sophomore point guard Jada Richard added nine points.
Tennessee had three players in double figures. Its leading scorer was Jaida Civil, a freshman guard who finished with 17 points.
“We were moving the ball as a team,” Caldwell said. “ I think we were doing a really good job on the offensive glass. They obviously made the adjustment. That was harder for us coming out (of halftime), and they really picked up their effort at the rim, and we gave up a lot of second-chance points.”
The two teams traded hot shooting stretches in the first half. Tennessee struck first, using a trio of 3-pointers to string together a 9-0 run halfway through the first quarter. LSU then responded in the second by collecting misses and using them to build a 14-0 blitz, but it just couldn’t shake the turnover issues that the Lady Vols both forced and turned into points.
The Tigers led just 43-42 at halftime, but they began the fourth quarter with a much more commanding 70-59 advantage, in large part because they turned the ball over only once in the third. Williams — who became the 17th player in LSU history to eclipse 1,500 career points on Thursday — either scored or assisted seven of the 12 field goals LSU converted in that frame.
“I thought Mikaylah Williams really, really had a good game,” Mulkey said.
According to ESPN, Mulkey is now the first coach in SEC history to lead a team to at least 25 wins in each of the first five seasons of their tenure. Mulkey has eclipsed that number of victories in 23 of the 26 seasons of her head coaching career.
LSU also honored seniors Izzy Besselman and Amiya Joyner on Thursday. Besselman is a former walk-on guard who’s missed the last two seasons while battling a heart condition. She checked in to the game to a loud ovation in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, making her first appearance in a game since March 24, 2024.
Joyner is a 6-foot-2 forward who joined the Tigers ahead of this season as a transfer from East Carolina. She’s started each of the past four games, and on Thursday, she played eight minutes.
The Tigers will now finish in the top four of the SEC’s regular-season standings for the fifth consecutive year. They won’t start their conference tournament run until the quarterfinal round tips off next Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.
Before then, though, LSU will play one more regular-season game: a road matchup with Mississippi State that will tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has served since 1979
Randy McNally represents parts of Knox County.
Randy McNally, the longtime Republican lawmaker from Oak Ridge and leader of the Tennessee Senate since 2017, is retiring, he announced on the Senate floor. He will not seek reelection in 2026.
His retirement marks the end of a 47-year tenure in the state legislature, where he made waves for East Tennessee and rose to the second-highest ranking role in the state as lieutenant governor.
“This is a very difficult thing to do,” McNally told his colleagues Feb. 26. “I’ve decided not to run for reelection in November. My aim each day was to leave my state and my community a little better than I found them. Together, I believe we have done just that. Tennessee’s success is due in no small part to the people I have served alongside every day.”
McNally cited health concerns as the reason for his retirement, adding he wants to make the most of the coming years.
The Anderson County resident was the highest-ranking East Tennessean in the state government, elected by his colleagues to lead the State Senate and manage policy and budget priorities.
McNally, 82, represents the 5th Senate District, which includes all of Anderson and Loudon counties, as well as a sliver of Knox County stretching from downtown up to Sharp’s Ridge north to Powell and in the county’s west side through Karns and Hardin Valley.
“My public service has been a team effort every step of the way,” McNally said on social media. “I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated.”
That means the Aug. 6 primary election for his seat is wide open. The general election is Nov. 3.
McNally had taken initial steps to run for reelection by pulling a nominating petition. He is the only Republican in the district to have done so.
There’s no clear successor for lieutenant governor. Top contenders include Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Commerce Committee Chairman Paul Bailey, R-Sparta. The Senate Republican Caucus will hold elections to select a successor.
Well-wishes for McNally have begun to flow.
“(McNally) has been a trusted friend and a steady conservative leader for Tennessee,” U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty said on social media. “From his time in the House of Representatives to his service as lieutenant governor, Speaker McNally has never wavered in his commitment to the betterment of our state. Thank you for your years of service and wishing you well in your next chapter.”
Randy McNally’s long history in the Tennessee legislature
McNally was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1979 and served there for eight years before moving on to the state Senate. He became Tennessee’s lieutenant governor in 2017.
McNally made a name for himself in the late 1980s through his participation in Operation Rocky Top. He worked undercover with the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service to expose illegal activities among state officials.
During his time in office, McNally at times went against members of his party by showing reluctance to support bills he feared would cause unnecessary conflict, particularly those that critics said targeted the LGBTQ community.
In 2023, McNally was the was criticized for comments he left on sexual Instagram photos posted by a young man who is gay. McNally stood by his comments, saying he tries to support all constituents.
USA TODAY-Network Tennessee contributed to this report.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
Conservatives’ crusade against reproductive freedom is deathly serious. Two controversies over the past week highlight some of the violence undergirding the MAGA movement’s assault on the idea of people choosing when and whether to bear children.
In Tennessee, two GOP state lawmakers are gauging interest in legislation that would make people eligible for homicide charges — and potentially the death penalty — for receiving or assisting with an abortion.
The bill’s co-sponsor in the state Senate said he doesn’t think the bill currently has the votes but ultimately could. Per the WSMV television station in Nashville:
“We want to be very open and have a conversation, whether it’s controversial or not — let’s hear from all sides to see where we are as Tennessee and where we stand,” [state Sen. Mark] Pody said. “Talking to some colleagues, we don’t have the votes to move something like that in the Senate at this moment.”
Pody said he does not consider the bill dead on arrival in the Senate, adding he believes there is a possibility for negotiation and that Republicans in the House and Senate could reach an agreement on language that could pass both chambers.
Most Americans seem to think we shouldn’t kick the tires on state-sponsored executions for abortion recipients. Pody apparently disagrees.
His fellow co-sponsor in the House, state Rep. Jody Barrett, didn’t sound any more sane in his exchanges about the bill with reporter Chris Davis from WTVF, the CBS affiliate in Nashville.
“Murder should be murder, whether it’s a person in being or a person in utero,” Barrett said.
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