Paul Rose easily won the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s State Senate District 32 race Thursday night.
According to the results, Rose won with more than 62 percent of the vote, or 6,159 votes out of 9,909 cast overall.
Former Shelby County Commissioner George Chism ran a distant second with almost 14 percent of the vote or 1,362 votes.
Meanwhile Heidi Shafer, who also served on the Shelby County Commission, placed third, also with almost 14 percent, or 1,358 votes.
Former State Representative Steve McManus placed fourth, with about 10 percent of the vote, or 1,030 votes.
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden released a statement after the votes came in.
“Paul is a long-time friend and has been committed to advocating for conservative ideas and will make a great State Senator,” Golden said.
“We are eager to help them win the General Election and help continue the successes of our Senate supermajority.”
Rose will now square off against Democrat Eric Coleman in a March 12 general election, according to the Memphis-based WMC Action News 5. The victor will replace former State Sen. Mark Norris, who is now a federal judge.
District 32 encompasses Tipton and parts of eastern Shelby counties.
According to The Covington Leader, Rose was the only Tipton County resident in the Republican race.
The paper went on to say Rose owns four Covington businesses – Rose Construction, Rose Fabricating and Industrial Solutions, APC Rentals, and Hydratrek.
Rose told the paper that workforce development and illegal immigration are among his priorities in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Shafer, meanwhile, while discussing her candidacy earlier this month on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy, described herself as a grassroots candidate who wanted to move West Tennessee forward.
“I’ve got to tell you, those of us in the 21 counties over here, we’re falling behind. And some of it’s our fault,” Shafer said.
“So we need to really put our heads together and figure out how we are going to move forward in a way where we can move forward with the rest of the state.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Paul Rose” by Paul Rose.
Photo “George Chism” by George Chism.
Photo “Heidi Shafer” by Heidi Shafer.
