Image Credit: State Representative Elaine Davis / Facebook, votebryangoldberg.com, & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Former Knoxville City Council member Janet Testerman and former state Representative Eddie Mannis have publicly stated that they will be voting for Rep. Elaine Davis’ (R-Knoxville-District 18) Democrat opposition in the upcoming election.
The Tennessee Conservative has endorsed Rep. Davis in this election and to those who are aware of former Rep. Mannis and Testerman’s moderate leanings, it will be no surprise that they have chosen to do the complete opposite.
Rep. Davis also received The Tennessee Conservative’s endorsement back in 2022 after former Rep. Mannis vacated the District 18 seat.
Mannis, more of a moderate Republican, was elected to the district 18 seat in 2020 but decided not to run in the 2022 election.
Reportedly, this was due to a lack of support from other GOP lawmakers on his moderate views regarding things like restrictions on allowing boys to participate in middle and high school level girls’ sports and vice versa.
“Mannis was censured by West Knox Republicans for consistent opposition to conservative efforts and promotion of leftist ideology. Elaine Davis is Vice Chair of Knox GOP (currently taking a leave of absence while running). Many Conservatives say the other Republican running, Janet Testerman, is ‘Mannis 2.0.’” The Tennessee Conservative’s Founder, Brandon Lewis, wrote in July of 2022.
That year, Testerman ran for the district 18 seat, losing to Rep. Davis in the GOP primary election that year. Rep. Davis went on beat her Democrat challenger, Gregory Kaplan, 54% to 46%.
Now Democrat Bryan Goldberg is Rep. Davis’ challenger in what Knox News has deemed to be “the most competitive Tennessee House of Representatives race” to be seen by local voters this year.
“With his extensive experience as a successful business leader and his deep involvement in our community, Bryan is the kind of leader who can bridge the partisan divide, truly represent you, and work for the benefit of all,” former Rep. Mannis said in a press release. “He is ready to lead from day one, and I am proud to offer him my full endorsement.”
Testerman shared similar sentiments in her endorsement of Goldberg.
“I know the importance of working together to affect positive change,” said Testerman. “As the daughter of a two-term Knoxville Mayor, I also watched the impact one person had, through ability and action, in successfully building a coalition of support across the political spectrum to achieve game-changing progress for our entire city.”
District 18 encompasses parts of West Knoxville and West Knox County. The district lines were also redrawn in 2022 to include South Knoxville and South Knox County.
Former Knox County Republican Party Chair Michael McClamroch has also offered up a bipartisan endorsement for this upcoming election.
Between these bipartisan endorsements and a Democrat win in Knox County’s fourth commission district, local Democrats are reportedly feeling quite confident.
Of course, this isn’t the only back and forth to occur in the race between Rep. Davis and Goldberg.
On October 2nd, Goldberg sued House GOP leadership over an attack website and mailers which allege that he did not pay property taxes on time.
Goldberg requested that a Knox County Circuit Court judge compel Rep. Davis, the state GOP, the House GOP Caucus and a consulting firm believed to have created the attack campaign to stop.
Circuit Court Judge Jerome Melson denied Goldberg’s emergency intervention request and Goldberg’s legal team is now asking for a regular injunction.
Rep. Davis has denied having anything to do with this attack campaign.
Tennessee’s early voting period ends Oct. 31st, 2024. Election Day is November 5th, 2024.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
Ugh
Having conservative representatives is absolutely necessary
The true challenge I see is getting the news out about who is a true conservative.
MSM lies constantly depriving most Tennesseans information to base decisions on.
Deprive them of funds by turning off the boob tube.
Lucifer’s RINOS.