2022 Knox County, Tennessee mayoral election
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 18.07%  [1]
8.24 pp | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
 Precinct results: Jacobs: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Helsley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% No data | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
_(cropped).jpg)
.png)
The 2022 Knox County mayoral election was held on August 4, 2022, to determine the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. The election was held concurrently with primary elections for various state offices, including the gubernatorial primaries. Incumbent Republican mayor Glenn Jacobs won re-election with 55.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Debbie Helsley.
As mayor, Jacobs branded himself as a libertarian and opposed COVID-19 restrictions like mask mandates.[2]
Jacobs massively underperformed compared to his win in 2018, underperforming the most in the city of Knoxville. Voter turnout was extremely low, with only 18.1% of registered voters turning out. Jacob's massive underperformance and the lower voter turnout is mainly due to the fact that Republican Governor Bill Lee ran unopposed in his primary election and his Democratic challenger had a competitive primary.[3][4] In 2018, local races saw higher voter turnout because all of the primary elections were contested that year.
| Elections in Tennessee |
|---|
 |
 Government |
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- Glenn Jacobs, incumbent mayor and professional wrestler better known as 'Kane'[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs (incumbent) | 24,687 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 24,687 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
Nominee
- Debbie Helsley, communications worker, and labor union leader[5]
Eliminated in primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Debbie Helsley | 5,921 | 74.20% | |
| Democratic | Tyler Givens | 1,397 | 17.51% | |
| Democratic | Bob Fischer | 662 | 8.30% | |
| Total votes | 7,980 | 100.00% | ||
General election[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Jacobs | 30,306 | 55.28% | |
| Democratic | Debbie Helsley | 24,520 | 44.72% | |
| Write-in | Tracy A. Clough (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 54,287 | 100.00% | ||
See also[edit]
- 2022 Tennessee elections
- 2022 Hamilton County, Tennessee mayoral election
- 2022 Shelby County, Tennessee mayoral election
References[edit]
- ^ "Tennessee Voter Turnout, August 2022" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Jared (August 5, 2022). "Former WWE star Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs wins second term as mayor in Tennessee county". The Hill. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Voter turnout is lower than it was 4 years ago in Knox County, but people are still voting". wbir.com. August 4, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Results: Knox Co. Mayor Glenn Jacobs reelected; some races see close wins". wbir.com. August 3, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Who is running? Knox County mayor is on the ballot, but sheriff's race is one to watch". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "May 3rd Republican Primary Mayor" (PDF). Knox County Election Commission. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Bob Fischer will challenge county mayor - Knox TN Today". www.knoxtntoday.com. January 3, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Tyler For Knox". www.facebook.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "August 4, 2022 Democratic Primary Governor" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "August 4, 2022 General election" (PDF). Knox County Election Commission. Retrieved June 29, 2022.