Nashvillians will get their first of several opportunities to vote in 2024 on Super Tuesday, March 5. The presidential primary on the ballot is expected to be sleepy, with Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump expected to wrap up their respective nominations in the coming weeks and months.
But also on the ballot in March are a few key local primaries. Voters countywide will have the chance to pick a new judge for Circuit Court Division IV (the family court that handles divorces and adoptions) following the 2022 death of Judge Philip Smith. Four candidates are on the Democratic ballot, with none on the Republican ballot, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary will win the seat. Also on the March ballot are primary elections for odd-numbered district seats on the Metro Nashville Public Schools board. Though some of the districts are losing incumbents, only one (District 1, including North Nashville and Joelton) is contested. Three Democrats and one Republican will be on the primary ballots, with the winner decided in August.
August is when the action really begins, with the Aug. 1 ballot including the general elections for school board, family court judge and property assessor, plus partisan primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state House and state Senate.
Races for federal seats are so far attracting the most attention, with high-profile Democrats Gloria Johnson (a Knoxville state representative) and Megan Barry (the former Nashville mayor) launching campaigns in recent months. Though other Democrats (including 2020 nominee Marquita Bradshaw) are also running for the long-shot chance to oust Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Johnson has attracted the most attention and money, and she leads the primary handily in the limited publicly available polling in the race. Barry, meanwhile, is hoping to beat U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Clarksville Republican whose 7th Congressional District took on a chunk of Nashville after 2022 redistricting.
Both Johnson and Barry would face steep odds in the Nov. 5 general election, though some Democrats cling to hope that their name recognition, extensive campaign experience and fundraising abilities could, at least, help boost some candidates further down the ballot.
Of the other congressional districts that took on part of Nashville in 2022, District 5, formerly represented by Democrat Jim Cooper, could again draw much of the campaign-season enthusiasm. No Democrat has yet emerged as a candidate for the seat, won in 2022 by Republican Andy Ogles by more than 13 percentage points over Democrat Heidi Campbell. But Ogles has attracted some negative publicity during his short tenure in Washington, including due to his involvement in efforts to oppose now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and to his exaggerated biography. Rumblings of a Republican primary challenge to Ogles continue to fester.
Though a court ruling last year would have resulted in a major shuffling of Nashville’s four state Senate districts, a higher court put off redrawing the map for now, leaving little intrigue (so far) for the Davidson County delegation’s chances in 2024.
Democratic Rep. Darren Jernigan took a job with Metro and will not run for reelection, leaving his Old Hickory and Hermitage seat in the state House open. Former Metro Councilmember Kevin Rhoten was the only official candidate to replace him, though he too just took a job with Metro. Education policy adviser Indira Dammu and gun control advocate Shaundelle Brooks have said they are considering jumping in the race.
Around the state, Democrats can’t get much lower than they already are in the legislature, where they hold 24 of 99 seats in the House and six of 33 seats in the Senate. The party will seek to make inroads in the most purple districts they can find, including suburban districts near major cities or in fast-growing places like Clarksville, as the dominant Republican Party uses its extensive resources to fend off such moves.
For many Nashville voters, the election to watch is the one that hasn’t been scheduled: Mayor Freddie O’Connell has signaled he would like to put a new transit referendum on the November ballot to take advantage of higher turnout. But that’s a Story to Watch all of its own (more on that elsewhere in this issue).
From housing and transportation to development of the East Bank, here are 11 stories to keep an eye on this year
