Down-ballot Dogfights
📈 Early voting ends, turnout trends ahead of Aug. 6 primary · Blackburn, PACs launch $9.7M final spending push · East TN congressional candidate accused of shooting out LPRs · Much more!
Augustapalooza Two chances for you to schmooze next month. The special guest for our monthly event is writer Scott Greer here to talk about his new book, and we're partnering with children's book publisher Chapter House for a mom's night out (with open bar) the Saturday before. (Greer Info, Mom Info)
Voting & TN U.S. Congressional District lookup Use your address to find your new congressional district here. Check out The Pamphleteer's quick voting guide.
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The governor’s race is grabbing the headlines, but Tennessee voters appear to be showing up for the down-ballot dogfights.
From Megan Podsiedlik
Early voting closed Saturday after 635,319 Tennesseans cast ballots statewide. Though early turnout is up 33 percent from 2022, it’s only 1.3 percent higher than in 2018 during the last open gubernatorial race.
In Davidson County, 2026 turnout reached 52,822 voters—a 49 percent increase compared with 2022, though totals showed an 8 percent decrease compared to the 2018 cycle. Tennesseans can safely expect that turnout this Thursday, August 6 will equal the total turnout during early voting.
County-by-county fluctuations in early voter surges appear driven more by competitive congressional races in newly redistricted areas than by the governor’s race:
TN-5 It’s a mixed picture as incumbent U.S. Representative Andy Ogles faces a serious primary challenge from former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher in District 5. Overall turnout is up about 15 percent from 2022, with most of the increase concentrated in larger suburban and urban centers such as Williamson, Montgomery, Tipton, and Shelby counties. However, those counties are only partially represented in District 5. When they are excluded, turnout significantly falls below previous cycles—showing that the district’s gains are driven primarily by its higher-population areas rather than its fully rural counties.
TN-6 The race for U.S. Representative John Rose’s open seat in TN-6 has driven a strong surge in turnout—up around 45 percent from 2022 across all counties, and still up 42 percent even after excluding Davidson County (which is only partially represented by the district). Gains are being fueled broadly by counties such as Sumner, Wilson, and Putnam rather than a single population center, as the Republican primary between state Representative Johnny Garrett and former Congressman Van Hilleary continues to intensify.
TN-9 Voters are turning out for the highly contested race to replace Tennessee’s only Democratic congressman, Steve Cohen, in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District. Including all new counties within the district, early voting turnout is up about 21 percent compared with 2022. Even after removing partially represented counties, the district’s footprint remains 5,350 voters ahead of 2022, showing that the increase extends beyond the district’s largest population centers.
The district was dramatically reshaped during Tennessee’s 2026 special session, making it significantly more favorable to Republicans than the previous map and turning the race into one of the state’s most closely watched congressional contests.
Both parties are holding competitive primaries: Republicans include state Senator Brent Taylor, state Representative Todd Warner, Charlotte Bergmann, and Jeremy Thompson, while Democrats include state Representative Justin Pearson, state Senator London Lamar, Jim Torino, and M. LaTroy A-Williams. Cohen, who had represented the Memphis-based district for more than two decades, opted not to seek reelection after the district lines were redrawn.
Sample ballot and voting information for the August 6 primary is available on the Davidson County Election Commission website. Check out The Pamphleteer's quick voting guide. Use your address to find your new congressional district here.
✹ AUGUST PAMPHLETEER EVENTS
Two Opportunities to Mix and Mingle. In addition to our regular, third Thursday get-together with special guest Scott Greer who is here to talk about his new book Whitepill, we're partnering with children's book publisher Chapter House to host a Mom's Night Out in support of their new line of high-quality children's classics.
For the Whitepilled event with Scott Greer, the first 50 guests to RSVP with code PILLED will receive free admittance. RSVP here.
HEADLINES
- 💰 Blackburn and PAC $9.7M spending blitz in final reporting period. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s gubernatorial campaign and an allied PAC spent about $9.7 million during the final reporting period, highlighting a major late push ahead of the Republican primary. Rival Republican candidate John Rose shelled out $4.9 million. The spending blitz underscores the high stakes of the GOP race as candidates and outside groups ramp up advertising and voter outreach efforts in the closing stretch. (TNJ)
- 📹 East Tennessee man, candidate for U.S. House shoots several LPRs. Adam Lee Heimerman, an independent candidate for Congress in East Tennessee, was arrested after police accused him of shooting and damaging four automated license plate reader cameras in Blount County. He faces multiple felony vandalism charges, with authorities alleging he also accessed one of the camera systems. The case comes as Flock Safety cameras face growing scrutiny in Tennessee over privacy concerns and debates about the role of automated surveillance technology. (WVLT 8)
- 🚫 'White. Blonde. Jew' author says store canceled event amid backlash. Author Alyssa Rosenheck says Nashville bookstore, Bell Bird Books, canceled a planned launch event for her book White. Blonde. Jew. after backlash over the title and controversy surrounding the event. The book, which focuses on antisemitism and extremism, has become the subject of debate over free expression, criticism, and how businesses handle contentious public events. (Alyssa Rosenheck IG)
✹ PROPERTY TAX CALCULATOR
What Moved Your Bill? Use our handy new tool to see what contributed to your property tax bill increase: the reappraisal or the rate hike. (Try It Out)
DEVELOPMENT
- New Nissan Stadium now accepts bookings ahead of its Feb. 2027 completion (NBJ)
- Details emerge for mixed-use building eyed for Green Hills (Post)
- Cafe set for Geodis Park-area building (Post)
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎹 Daniel Kuk Quartet @ Rudy's Jazz Room, 6p, $12, Info
+ up-and-coming Nashville pianist
🎸 Just Penelope @ The East Room, 8p, $13.36, Info
+ indie rock band from Bloomington, Indiana
🪕 Bluegrass Mondays with Kyle Tuttle @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Charlie Worsham @ Station Inn, 8p, $25, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.