Three Republicans are competing this year to replace Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who can’t run again. The winner of the GOP primary in August will advance to the general election this fall.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn is seen as the frontrunner, and could become the state’s first female governor. But Congressman John Rose, a former state ag commissioner, could be catching up per some recent polling. Meanwhile, State Rep. Monty Fritts has positioned himself as a political outsider.
Among the three GOP candidates, there aren’t a lot of pronounced policy differences. All three have campaigned on supporting President Trump, but he’s loyal to both Blackburn AND Rose, and isn’t likely to pick one to endorse.
Recent finance reports show Blackburn outraising Rose and Fritts, and she seems to be angling to protect her lead and avoid anything that could risk it, like a debate with the other candidates.
Early voting starts Friday, July 18. Election day is Thursday, August 5. If you’re not sure where to go or who you’re voting for, we’ve got lots more helpful information at link in bio.
Tap link in bio for more from Marianna Bacallao (@ba.marianna) as she covers the elections.
Photos via the Blackburn, Rose, and Fritts campaigns for governor.
Early voting is here. Are you prepared for it?
From July 17 to August 1, Davidson county residents will be able to vote early for the Tennessee primary elections, county general elections and Oak Hill municipal elections.
Voters will determine which candidates move on to the general elections for Tennessee’s governor, senator, and multiple congressional district seats.
Whether you’re a first time voter, or someone who knows their way around a ballot box, this guide will give you the information you need to vote early starting this week.
Tap the link in bio for more of our election and voting coverage.
Reporting: Seth Thorpe, Newsroom Intern
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Depending upon who you ask, Nashville isn’t meeting the mark with police technology.
In a recent report, the Nashville Police and Public Safety Alliance highlights how Metro’s police department doesn’t have the same tools as other similarly-sized cities, like license plate readers and gunshot detection tools.
But the Metro Human Relations Commission is critiquing the report and the idea that Nashville needs more technology in the first place.
This is the latest salvo in a multi-year debate over policing technologies.
Tap the link in bio for continuing coverage of surveillance.
Reporting: Emily West for WPLN
Photos: Tony Gonzalez / WPLN
Is a microtext typo on some Tennessee drivers licenses simply a mistake? Or was it something more mysterious? Curious Nashville`s Justin Barney dug into the question posed by Sam Barocas. Sam had three theories:
1. It’s a typo. There are dozens of lines of microprint script on the license. Maybe the person putting it together didn’t have an editor. It’s possible.
2. It’s intentional. IDs have become complex documents that have numerous security measures. Maybe the typo is one of them. But then, how would someone catch that? Is a bartender on Broadway pulling out a microscope to catch an underage tourist trying to slip into Tootsies? And wouldn’t the typo be transferred over to copies or scans?
3. It’s something fun. Maybe the person who designed it was bored — hunched over a desk, typing “The Volunteer State” over and over and decided they would include a little easter egg. A signature. Perhaps in hopes that, 15 years later, some bored kid would throw it under a microscope, see their work, track them down, and lets them know that their work has been noticed. Sam hoped for this one.
So where to turn? Curious Nashville.
A spokesperson for the Department of Safety and Homeland Security suggested that it was a security feature. “I don’t think they are going to talk to you,” said Jason Pack, director of communications for the Department of Safety & Homeland Security.
Justin breaks it down for you — maybe you have a "volundeer" drivers license?
Tap link in bio for the full story and follow along for more from Justin Barney.
Tennessee`s history is messy. It`s filled with complex characters, struggles, innovations, and surprises.
It`s a place that played a key role in women winning the right to vote. Where civil rights leaders were trained. And it`s home to important military history.
To understand our state, we can connect the dots between the past and present. That`s the mission of our series "The Backstory." Find more at wpln.org/backstory
This project is funded by the state of Tennessee and administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.
Tap link in the bio for more and to subscribe to the NashVillager podcast and newsletter.
Notable quotables for the week for stories that include Memphis Safe Task Force, a Nashville data center, gas prices, bringing the banjo to hip-hop music, and last but not least, the broad appeal of Nashville burger reviews.
There were two killings by federal law enforcement officers in Memphis in recent weeks — one involving the National Guard and one involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Both were participating in the Memphis Safe Task Force.
Nashville’s Metro council inched closer to regulating data centers — which would include banning large, sprawling developments. The council also took the first steps toward seizing the land slated for a data center near the Nashville Zoo.
Gov.Bill Lee confirmed he will not be creating a death penalty moratorium after the failed execution of Tony Carruthers in May.
Tap link in bio for our in-depth stories and to sign up for the NashVillager newsletter, a human-powered 5-day-a-week email direct to your inbox with local stories, info, and ticket giveaways.
“There`s nothing I can`t do with this instrument," says musician Tray Wellington.
Jewly Hight reports that banjo virtuoso Tray Wellington demonstrated limitless belief from the moment he first stepped into the contemporary bluegrass spotlight more than five years ago.
From Wellington’s debut album “Black Banjo" onward, his expansive musicianship conveyed important truths about genre: that string band music and jazz are, and have always been, Black musical traditions and areas of innovation.
Previously he hinted at his interest in hip-hop. Now he’s gone all in on his new album “Heart on the Table.” It may not be the world’s first attempt to combine rapping and banjo, but his fluency in both traditions makes it a groundbreaking and standard-setting project. It could only come from the imagination of an artist who’s studied the hip-hop canon and dedicated himself just as seriously to absorbing its mechanics as he has bluegrass.
Wellington has a show at the Eastside Bowl tonight (Thursday July 9) and his album drops on Friday.
Tap link in bio for the full story and follow along for more from Senior Music Writer Jewly Hight.
Curious Nashville Returns!
Back by popular demand, the WPLN fan favorite series Curious Nashville is here to investigate oddities, share local history, tell stories of interesting people, and explain how local institutions operate.
You ask the questions, and we answer.
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