By Harriet Vaughan-Wallace
Now that the May elections are done, the focus turns to the August election, another critical race for Black Nashville. Seats currently held by African-Americans could be in contention.
Long-time state Sen.Thelma Harper will defend her seat against three candidates – Sterlina Brady (Rep), Brandon Puttbrese (Dem.) and George Thomas (Ind.). Her opponents are calling for fresh leadership.
Meanwhile, Harper has positioned herself to remind voters of her long-standing record and the value of her longevity in office.
Also on the ballot will be County Clerk Brenda Wynn who will go against Toni Eaton, a Republican who describes herself as not being a “professional politician” and is a political unknown.
Rep. Harold Love, Jr, (Dist. 58), Rep. Brenda Gilmore (Dist. 54) and Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry will run unopposed.
Judge Rachel Bell was slated to face opposition against Rick Dumas, the winner of the Republican Primary on May 6, for General Sessions Court, Division 8, but he recently announced he is dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind Bell. Bell beat out Blake Freeman by a whopping 13,000 votes, gaining the Democratic bid.
“After much hard thought and deliberation and discussions with Ashley, I have decided not to run for General Sessions judge. There are a number of reasons, but primarily, the main reason is, is that my heart simply isn’t in it. I think to make this happen, you have to be fully committed and you have to desire it greatly, and I just don’t,” said Dumas on his Facebook page.
The judgeship term is eight years. Because he has dropped out so far into the game, his name will remain on the August ballot. Early voting will run July 18- Aug. 2. Election Day is Aug. 7.
All eyes on August
Now that the May elections are done, voters will begin to see a surge in campaigning from the August candidates. Typically, voters get fatigued with back-to-back elections and interest can sometimes dissipate. The candidate with the deepest pockets and best advertising will be key to keeping voter interest up.
“It’s so expensive to run a campaign, particularly for the State House of Representatives. Having a lot of money doesn’t guarantee you’ll win an election but not having a lot of money does guarantee that you’ll lose. We’ll have an election where media campaigns will make a difference. Traditional campaigning based on spending a bunch of money, that’s the strong point of winning races in August and November,” said political analyst, Joe White.
Others rounding out the Black ballot are Judge Richard Dinkins, a State Court of Appeals judge and Chancellor Russell T. Perkins of Chancery Court Part IV.
Dinkins will run unopposed however, Perkins will go against Sabrina Johnson Orr (Rep.).
Black vote will be key again
Candidates are hoping black voters in Nashville turn out in August just as they did two weeks ago when they helped seat five African-American judges in an election night that had Davidson County voters holding their breath until early morning hours.
Attorneys Sheila Calloway, Kelvin Jones, Allegra Walker and Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton and Bell walked away winners in the May primaries, filling five of the eight judgeship seats sought after by Black candidates. They will not have to run again in August against a Republican candidate. This is the first time in Davidson County that this many African-Americans have placed in a judgeship race at one time.
“The Black vote in Davidson County made the difference in a number of races.
The African-American community in Davidson County is saying with their votes that we believe in politics. They got in there, did the work and got the vote,” said White.
In all, there were nine African-Americans on the ballot running for judge. Attorneys Joy Kimbrough, Sheryl Guinn, Paul Walwyn and former judge Andrei Ellen Lee, lost their bids. But the races were close, especially early on as the early voting numbers fell in. That’s because a large number of Blacks turned out to early vote. Next to the Howard School Building, the most early voting ballots were cast at the Bordeaux Library where the population is majority African-American.
“Voter turnout was high at this location because you had a record number of qualified, intelligent African-American candidates on the ballot. The candidates, churches, media, and community were instrumental in spreading the word to come out and vote in this election because they knew the outcome would affect the day-to-day lives of so many,” said Kimbrough who lost to incumbent Steve Dozier by a narrow 473 votes.
All Black candidates except Walwyn led in early voting. Early voting numbers kept most of the races tight and were responsible for upsets and surprises.
“Typically, the Black vote has had the effect of being the icing on the cake for political candidates. In this particular race, the Black, minority and women vote was the cake and the icing,” said Jones who beat out sitting Judge Carol Soloman by 3,200 votes.
White says the influx and unprecedented number of African-Americans running in this election sparked an excitement in the Black community, stirring up the movement for voters to turn out. Traditionally, African-Americans have had a lower turnout during elections seasons, not including 2008 when President Barack Obama was elected.
This also sparked some early confusion, leading voters to believe that the candidates were running against each other and not in separate races. Local African-American organizations quickly mobilized, hosting forums to not only introduce the Black candidates to the community, but to energize the Black vote.
“Turnout has been crucial in these situations, one reason why Republicans have focused so much in recent years on things designed to reduce Black participation and involvement like voter ID laws,” said Rosetta Perry, publisher of the Tennessee Tribune. She, along with the local chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., hosted one of the last political forums before early voting started. Because of its success, several organizations are gearing up for another round of forums this summer to help voters get to know the August candidates.