Tennessee Democrat State Rep Resigns, Party Caucus To Select Replacement

Image Credit: Tennessee General Assembly & Canva.

Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –

Joe Towns, the Democrat Representative for House District 84, has resigned his seat in the General Assembly after being sworn into office as the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk, leaving the Shelby County Democrat Party to caucus at a special meeting to select his replacement. 

Towns spent 32 years in the House but decided to run in the Clerk’s race against Republican Edquardo Jamison for the local office. Defeating Jamison on Aug. 6 in the general election and prevailing in the Democrat primary for HD84, Towns was legally required to surrender one of the seats and has apparently decided his tenure in the legislature has come to an end. 

Besides supporting Democrat policies and bills, Towns also has a sketchy history with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (TREF) as he has consistently failed to file campaign finance reports on time or at all for the better part of six years, according to the Tennessee Lookout. 

The lawmaker reportedly said he wouldn’t pay one more “copper cent” to TREF in 2020 but ultimately paid a $22,000 settlement fee after the board reduced the original $66,000 penalties to “give him a break” at the onset of the Covid era. Towns still has three matters pending with TREF, one for failing to file a corrected campaign finance report and two for late-filed reports, which are set to be taken up by the board next week.

Towns’ resignation has been officially recognized by the General Assembly as his name no longer appears on the House member directory, with the name for District 84 simply reading “Vacant”. And because there is no Republican candidate on the November ballot for HD84, the Shelby County Democrat Party’s replacement process will in essence choose the district’s next representative. 

Towns’ competitor in the Aug. 6 Democrat primary, U.S. House advisor Kyler Gilkey, announced he is continuing his campaign and will be seeking the nomination to replace Towns in the statehouse. Gilkey won 27% of the vote during the primary and said he has been preparing to make his case to fill the vacancy to party executive committee members. 

“This has been a combination of campaigning for a little bit over 11 months… and talking to folks in the community, gaining support or the endorsements of local community and elected officials, labor unions,” he said. 

The county party has not announced exactly what the caucus will look like, but party chairman Willie Simon confirmed receipt of Towns’ official resignation and that party leaders from District 84 will convene to set the replacement process rules soon. As the district will be without representation until the vacancy is filled, it is likely the party will select their candidate within the next week or so.

Besides Gilkey, two or three other people have reportedly put their names up for consideration, but others could emerge once the opening and caucus process are made public by the party.

Sources:

Pro State Affairs.

Tennessee Lookout.

Tennessee General Assembly.

The 901 Report.

KylerGilkey.com.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.