You asked for it and you are going to GET IT, Part 3 - State and Federal Democratic Primaries

 Thank you for your patience.

Ok then.  As always, your mileage may vary, but here we go!

GOVERNOR - Jason Brantley Martin - While the good ER doctor from Nashville is not what I would call a powerhouse on the stump, he does have the best chance to defeat Bill Lee.  Nothing against Councilor JB Smiley Jr or Carnita Atwater, but ask yourself this question: Of the three, who do you think could get the most votes in Dyer County?  Lincoln County?  Polk County?  

Yes, that is what we are up against, and every vote we can pull away from the worst Governor in the history of this state helps us down the ballot, and down the road as we fight the Party that supports seditionists.  Smiley has a future, but he is moving too fast by half.  Nice guy, I agree with him on a lot of things, but I don't think he can win.  Atwater has less of a chance than I do and I am not running. 

So, Dr. Martin it is.

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 9.

Steve Cohen until he doesn't want to do this anymore, which won't be any time soon, thankfully.

As with most of these seats, there is no primary opposition, I will skip them and jump ahead.

STATE SENATE, DISTRICT 33

When Katrina Robinson was forced to resign after her federal conviction, there was only one real possibility to fill this seat, and LONDON LAMAR was that person.  She has done so much even before she was elected to State Representative District 91, having built the Shelby County and Tennessee Young Democrats into powerhouses.  She was a terrific representative, fighting hard for her district and getting bills passed in both houses despite being in a super minority as a Democrat. In the redistricting, I was moved from Brian Kelsey's District 31 to her District 33.  It does not get much better than that!  Please vote and support LONDON LAMAR for a full term in the State Senate!

Tennessee House of Representatives, District 84  Surprisingly, Joe Towns Jr faces opposition in Brandon Price.  No idea who this person is, I am sticking with Joe Towns!

Tennessee House of Representatives, District 85 - Jesse Chism is the choice over Phyllis Parks, he has been solid and steady since arriving in Nashville.

Tennessee House of Representatives, District 86

Every year someone runs against Barbara Cooper and every year they LOSE.  She may be in her 90s but she is always out in her district and is a familiar sight there.  I wish I had that much energy!

Tennessee House of Representatives, District 91

We have all heard the saying that when one door closes, another one opens.  TORREY HARRIS can tell you firsthand about that.  When his district was combined with District 91 and District 90 was sent into the hinterlands, it wasn't long before Katrina Robinson's departure from the Senate led to the elevation of London Lamar to her seat and House 91 was left open.  While the County Commission decided to wait for the August election,. Harris, who was now living in 91, filed for the seat.  He was a good representative for 90 and he should be nominated and elected in November to this seat full time.

Tennessee House of Representatives, District 97

My address was moved from 90 to 97, which used to be primarily Bartlett, Raleigh and Berclair, where Allan Creasy and Gabby Salinas each attempted to capture it.  However, Rep. John Gillespie got Bartlett and Raleigh out of the district in order to get more of the Poplar Corridor into it, where the fundraising was presumably better.  That said, it is also a more flippable district now, since it reaches all the way to Humes Heights!  No, I am not running, but HOUSTON WOLF is, and I voted for him today, and if you now live in House 97, I want you to do so as well!

State Executive  Committeewoman  District 30  In all of the state Democratic Executive Committee races, this one is the only contested race, with Committeewomen Allison Brownlee (Senate 29), Sarah W. Freeman (31), Deborah K. Reed (32) and Rosemanry Winters (33) join Committeemen Darrick "Dee" Harris (29), Allan Creasy (30), Dave Cambron (31), and Jonathan Carroll (33) in advancing to the Committee.  Yes, before you ask, that is OUR Jon Carroll, delighted to see him and Allan Creasy going to the TNDPEC to shake things up.

In the State Executive  Committeewoman  District 30 race, there are two powerhouses.  Anyone who reads this blog knows Norma Lester, who has been involved as long or longer than I have, having served on the SCDPEC, the Shelby County Election Commission and various campaigns, and there is relative newcomer Jasmine Boyd.  Ms. Boyd has brought energy and organizational ability to each campaign she has worked with, and has developed a lot of support in a lot of Democratic areas.

I adore Norma Lester, it is hardly a secret and all who know her do as well.  That said, for the work that is ahead in building back the state party, especially in each Senate District, needs energy and organization.  Norma has done so much for this Party in this county, her advice is always listened to when given.  However, for what needs to be done, I am going to support JASMINE BOYD for this office.  We need to maximize the Democratic vote in EVERY SENATE DISTRICT FROM 1 TO 33, and I believe that for the task at hand, Ms. Boyd will be the best for this position.  No doubt Norma is always going to be a part of this Party and is and will be treasured by all Democrats, but Jasmine Boyd is best suited for this role at this time.

All right, fire away y'all!  Lets beat every Republican wherever we can!

You asked for it and you are going to GET IT, part 2 - Judgeships!

 I am only going to do the seats in which there is a contested election, so here we go:

CIRCUIT COURT, DIVISION 2

Part time City Attorney Carlos Bibbs won the Bar Association poll over former state representative and City Councilor Carol Chumney and attorney Kenneth Margolis, who has a huge billboard at the Poplar Viaduct.  Bibbs is well-liked and has a good record.  All that said, I have known Carol since the late 80s and worked in most of her campaigns.  I am voting for Carol Chumney in this race.

CIRCUIT COURT,  DIVISION 6

Stuart Breakstone is facing Cedrick Wooten in this one.  Breakstone won the Bar poll, which can be found here.  That said, I have known Cedrick Wooten since he was in high school and I believe he will be an outstanding Judge.  I am supporting Cedrick Wooten.

CIRCUIT COURT, DIVISION 7 

Incumbent Mary Wagner won the bar poll, along with the endorsement of Mayor Strickland and former Democratic Chair and outgoing Commissioner Van Turner.  Paul Robinson, Jr.  is opposing her.  I will probably vote for Judge Wagner.

CIRCUIT COURT, DIVISION 8 

Incumbent Bob Weiss faces Damita Dandridge and Larry Parrish, but won the Bar poll handily.  I have heard nothing bad about him so I will likely vote for him.

CHANCELLOR, PART 1

I am just going to list whom I am voting for at this point.  Gadson William Perry is the incumbent and I am supporting him.

CHANCELLOR, PART 3

Joe Jenkins, the incumbent, gets my support here.

PROBATE COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 2

Incumbent Karen Webster gets my vote.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 1

Incumbent Paula Skahan is one of the best judges in this STATE.  She will get my vote every time!

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 2

This is wide open and I am going to go with Samuel Winnig, with Joe Ozment a close second.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 3

Michael R. McCusker is my choice here.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 5

Undecided between Christopher Lareau and Carlyn Addison,

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 6

Judicial Commissioner David Pool gets my vote.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 7

Incumbent Lee V. Coffee gets the nod here.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 8

While incumbent judge Chris Craft is very well liked among the lawyers in this town, we need more people on the bench who have been on the defense side of the aisle, and Sanjeev Memula is getting my vote here.  He may be younger, but he understands Criminal Court as well as anyone running, and I am voting for him.

CRIMINAL COURT, DIVISION 9

Judge Mark Ward,  the incumbent, is highky respected and with good reason.  he gets my support.

Now, onto General Sessions Court!

GENERAL SESSIONS CIVIL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 1

Incumbent Lynn Cobb is my pick here.

GENERAL SESSIONS CIVIL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 3

Lots of good lawyers here, but my choice is Danielle Mitchell Sims.

GENERAL SESSIONS CIVIL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 4

Voting to keep Deborah Ann Means Henderson on the bench.

GENERAL SESSIONS CIVIL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 5

Betty Thomas Moore deserves another term.

GENERAL SESSIONS CIVIL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 6

Bring back LONNIE THOMPSON for 8 more years.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 7

 I believe Judge Bill Anderson created this particular court and does a fine job with it.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 8

This is a tough race, but I am backing Lee Wilson.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 9

Incumbent Gerald Skahan has done quite well here and deserves another term.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 10

 This is a wide open race, but I like Kevin Reed here.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 11

I am voting for the incumbent, Karen Massey.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 12

Silvio "Ron" Lucchesi has done good work on the bench so I support him for another term.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 13

Terrance Tatum  is my choice to unseat Louis Montesi.

ENVIRONMENTAL COURT JUDGE DIVISION 14.

Patrick Dandridge  was trained for this job by his predecessor, Larry Potter, and it was no surprise when he replaced him on this bench.  He has done well overall, and I am choosing him for another term, but I do understand the frustrations over the SERENITY TOWERS case.  But, he is a judge first, and I appreciate that.

GENERAL SESSIONS CRIMINAL COURT JUDGE, DIVISION 15

8 more years for Judge LOYCE LAMBERT-RYAN!

Ok y'all, that is it for tonight, State and Federal Democratic Primaries tomorrow!

You asked for it and you are going to GET IT, County General Election (not judgeships)

 Ok, y'all, Early voting opened today statewide and the voting centers will be open until 7 pm today, 10-4 on Saturday, and closed on Sunday before starting back on Monday and going through July 30.  You may want to vote early because precincts have changed for Election Day and its better to find out your new precinct when you get to an Early voting Center.  Here is the list from the SCEC.

Most of you have been around a while but for those who may not have been, the August election is essentially the COUNTY GENERAL ELECTION and the State and Federal primaries, which can be confusing.  And of course, as part of the COUNTY GENERAL ELECTION, we have the every-8-year elections for District Attorney General, Juvenile Court Judge and various other judgeships.  It is a BIG ballot, so I hope you can get some time to study this.  The MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARIES have taken the time a trouble to create a Voter Guide to study the candidates.

We are going to start with the COUNTY GENERAL ELECTIONS, which are partisan except for the judgeships.

Since they are partisan, I will say this: VOTE DEMOCRATIC.  EVERY FREAKING RACE, EVEN COUNTY CLERK.

District Attorney General - Steve Mulroy.  This is the single most important race in this election because we have the chance to truly change the direction of crime and punishment, which we really have never had.  The incumbent., Amy Weirich, has been the DAG for 14 years and a prosecutor for many years before that.  What she does is not working.  Period.  Mulroy is a former AUSA in another part of the country, a current law professor at the University of Memphis and was a County Commissioner for eight years.  He has a different vision for how we prosecute people in this county, and we damn sure need it.

County Mayor - Lee Harris - Mayor Harris has taken criticism for the County's handling of the pandemic.  He let the then-head of the County Health Department, Dr. Alisa Hausholder (a holdover fromr the prior Republican administration of Mayor Mark Luttrell, IIRC), who, frankly mishandled the situation.  Others do not like the way has dealt with the County Commission, but it was really not much different that the battles Luttrell had with HIS own party in Terry Roland.  His GOP opponent, Worth Morgan, son of the legendary financier Allen Morgan, has been the City Councilor for District 5 since 2016.  He has had some successes, but is not ready for this.  

County Commission, District 13 (my new district). - Michael Whaley is seeking his second term, and while maybe not as lefty as I would like, he is certainly enough of a Democrat to support over Republican Ed Apple, whom I do not know.

As for your districts, find the Democrat, vote for them and it will work out fine.  I am not playing this year.

Assessor of Property - Melvin Burgess has done a fine job since succeeding Cheyenne Johnson and has programs to help certain area improve their values and raise their investment in their neighborhoods.  This is the kind of thing we needed. 

County Trustee Regina Morrison Newman, who collects taxes for not only the County but the City of Memphis, has won awards for her department's great work to ensure the County receives what they need to ensure the governments can operate.  Let's keep this going!

Juvenile Court Judge.  Tarik Sugarmon is my choice to replace Dan Michael, who is the latest in a series of Judges that have overseen a Court that sends children to adult court at a ridiculously high rate and has not done much to break the school-to prison pipeline. While Michael ha said he sees that changes are necessary, I do not have confidence that he will do what is necessary to make those changes.  Tarik Sugarmon WILL.

Sheriff - Floyd Bonner - How good has the longtime veteran of the Sheriff's Department been for the County?  Republicans refused to run anyone against him and all he has are two little-known independents challenging him.  He has done right by this county and we need to elect him one more time.

Circuit Court Clerk - Jamita Swearengen - This is a tough one, as I have known Soheila Kail and her husband Danny for many years.  If this were a non-partisan race, this would be real tough for me.  But it is not, and I cannot support any Republican for office because of the January 6 coup attempt.  I get that this is why a lot of Republicans WANT these races to be non-partisan, but you made your bed in 1994, and now you get to reap what you sow, GOP.  As for Democrat Jamita Swearengen, current City Council Chair apparently found herself with support from the current Circuit Court Clerk team in the primary against the incumbent, the outgoing Tamiika Gipson.  As Councilor Swearengen has been through many political battles, she is the favorite here.

Criminal Court Clerk - Heidi Kuhn, The incumbent, who was a veteran of County Government before her 2018 election, has worked tirelessly to streamline the Clerk's office and has started and operated an outstanding program to help former convicted members of society to be able to expunge their records.  This in turn helps these residents when they apply for jobs, which is more critical for our County.

Juvenile Court Clerk - Janeen Gordon is the Democratic nominee and the winner as no Republican qualified for the office.  Ms. Gordon, longtime morning traffic report at WMC-TV and a radio personality at various stations in town, is the daughter of outgoing Clerk Janis Fullilove, a beloved figure in this city.  However,, Ms. Gordon, who is NOT related to the Fullilove part of the family, insisted on being listed on the ballor as Janeen Fullilove-Gordon, which is crappy, in my opinion.  I have decided to write in someone of my choice and even though she will win, I can't support her.

Probate Court Clerk - outgoing County Commissioner Eddie Jones unseated incumbent Bill Morrison in the May primary and is the favorite to defeat Republican DeWayne Jackson.  I will vote for him as I don't vote for Republicans.  

County Clerk - oh man.  The incumbent is Democrat Wanda Halbert, whose prior successes on the School Board and the City Council have just not translated to this position, which he won in the 2018 sweep.  She has seemingly been in a constant fight with the Harris Administration and the state of Tennessee, who, surprisingly, has been correct.  This hurts, but I just can't do this.  I am going to vote for Independent Harold C. Smith because this needs to change.

Register of Deeds - outgoing County Commissioner Willie Brooks unseated Shelandra Ford in the May primary and is favored over Republican Bryan Edmiston and Independent George "Dempsey Summers.  Brooks is a veteran of county government and very knowledgeable at its workings.  He will do well.

County School Board. District 1 is a rematch of 2018 with current incumbent and Board Chair Michelle McKissack facing the man she unseated then, Chris Caldwell.  Given that she is chair at the time the Board has placed Superintendent Joris Ray on leave while he is being investigated to see if he had affairs with Board employees, it is unnerving to want to replace her.  I voted for Caldwell four years ago and have not been impressed with her term.  I am voting to return Chris Caldwell to the school board.

Oh, andI almost forgot, tthe City of Memphis has a resolution on the ballot, which states the following;

Shall the Memphis City Charter be amended to increase the number of terms of a person holding or elected to the office of the Mayor or Memphis City Council may be allowed to serve,with a maximum of three consecutive 4-year terms?   

I am going to vote for this for only the most selfish of reasons, as most of you know, my wife works on the 7th Floor and I would like to see a third term for Mayor Strickland.  I also get that even most of his devout supporters who would also like to see that happen will vote NO because they are not keen on the idea of Councilors also getting potential third terms. The Mayor did not exactly stump for this to pass the other day, merely indicating that if the community did pass it, he would seek a third term.  Vote your conscience and we will all be fine by and by.

OK, that is it for part 1 - County General Elections.  Coming up next, - the judgeships!