Knox County voters rehired all their state representatives Nov. 5, even as Democrats had hoped to flip one key race.
Democrats thought Bryan Goldberg had a shot at defeating state Rep. Elaine Davis in District 18, which includes Sequoyah Hills and other neighborhoods in West Knoxville. A shift in 2022 offered hints that Democratic support was growing, but it wasn’t enough.
It was the closest local race of the night.
The two Democratic incumbents, state Reps. Gloria Johnson and Sam McKenzie, cruised to victory in their districts. McKenzie handedly beat his Republican challenger, Justin Hirst. Johnson ran unopposed and will retain her seat even after she lost the U.S. Senate race against Marsha Blackburn.
On the Senate side, voters stuck with Becky Duncan Massey, a Republican who’s been in office since 2011.
Here’s a race-by-race look at the results.
Tennessee House District 14
State Rep. Jason Zachary used his victory speech to highlight Republican voter turnout.“When we started this journey, we begged the people to show up, and that is exactly what happened in this election cycle,” Zachary said. “When we show up, we make clear this is a conservative county.”