Early voting has begun for the state Senate primary to replace former state Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), who stepped down to focus on her campaign for Tennessee governor.
Gov. Bill Haslam called for a special election in District 17 to replace Beavers. The primary is Nov. 7 and the general election is Dec. 19.
State Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), Beavers’ close ally, is running unopposed in the Republican primary, while attorney Mary Alice Carfi is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The “bathroom bill” Pody and Beavers sponsored in the most recent session of the Tennessee General Assembly is back in the news, even though it failed to make it out of committee this year.
On Friday, Beavers issued a press release noting that the recent conviction of a transgender man who identifies as a woman on charges a sexually assaulting a ten year old girl in a bathroom in Casper, Wyoming points to the need for a bill such as the one she and Pody introduced.
District 17, which includes Wilson, Cannon, DeKalb, Smith, Clay and Macon counties, is a strong Republican area.
Pody is the favorite to win the general election in December.
Visit wilsoncountyvotes.com for more information.
