Republican Race in State Senate District 23 Too Close to Call

The race for the Republican nomination to Jim Bryson’s state senate seat ended in a photo finish.

Returns came in slowly for the district, which covers all of Williamson County, plus a small portion of Davidson. That’s because many Williamson County voters used paper ballots due to difficulties with new voting machines.

As returns came in, Oak Hill mayor Chip Throckmorton remained neck and neck with financial advisor Jack Johnson, each hovering around 30 percent of the vote. Around 10 pm, Throckmorton trailed behind by just two percentage points. He called Johnson to say he would probably concede in the morning after a full count.

But no matter who is the ultimate winner, Throckmorton’s campaign manager, Jeff Cassman, says it’s remarkable that the nomination will not go to a Williamson County candidate.

“You know, there was an aggressive effort in Franklin to support the hometown candidate, Tom Neill, who was long-time Williamson County and a favorite of the Franklin establishment. And yet, two guys from Nashville came in and got the overwhelming majority of votes.”

The winner of the primary will face Democratic contender Mary Parker in the November 7th General Election.