White County Primary Sets August Election Ballot

White County Primary Sets Stage for August Election

With the May Primary Election now complete, White County voters have narrowed the field for several key county offices and helped define what the August 6 general election ballot will look like.

A total of 4,475 voters participated in the primary. With no Democratic candidates qualifying for local races, all results were determined through Republican ballot voting.

While some races were competitive, others made clear early who will carry momentum into the general election.

The most closely watched race outside of County Executive, which you can read about here, was for sheriff, where incumbent Steve Page received 3,001 votes and will advance to face Independent candidate Daniel Trivette in August. There were 749 ballots cast in the primary that did not include a vote in the sheriff’s race, meaning the majority of those who did make a selection were not opposed to voting for the incumbent.

Several other county offices saw complimentary votes and now leave little to be decided in November.

Beverly Finley Jolley received 3,555 votes for Circuit Court Clerk and will run unopposed in the general election. Lori Ann Jones secured 3,478 votes for Register of Deeds and will also appear on the August ballot without opposition.

The highest vote total of the night went to Road Superintendent Jerry Sawyer, who received 3,597 votes. He, too, will run unopposed in the general election.

The only school board race with a candidate on the Republican ballot came in District 5, where Jerry Kelsey received 346 votes and will move on to face Dr. Larry Thompson in August.

County Commission races, as expected, helped shape multi-candidate fields that will return to voters in the general election. In each district, voters selected up to two candidates in the primary, with those advancing now joining previously qualified candidates on the August ballot where voters will, once again, be asked to select two names.

County Commission Races

District 1
Cain Rogers received 355 votes, and Daniel Keith received 221 votes. Both advance to the general election and will join Chris Brewington on the ballot.

District 2
Bill Templeton received 368 votes, and T.K. Austin received 359 votes. Both will advance to join Erick Dildine, Ronnie Miller, and Javier Ortiz in August.

District 3
Becky Golden received 448 votes and will move on to the general election alongside Willard Greene and Emory Thompson.

District 4
Edward Newport received 421 votes and will join John Dakota White on the general election ballot.

District 5
Dana Teeple received 369 votes and will advance to face Megan McBride Dodson and William Randolph.

District 6
Bryan Cole received 465 votes, and Derrick Hutchings received 458 votes. Both will advance and join Janett Marie McElheny in the general election.

District 7
Tracy England Fowler received 535 votes and will move on to face Andy Davis and Jonathon Kendrick Howard.

Independent-Only Races and Uncontested Offices

Several races did not have Republican or Democratic candidates during the primary and will be decided entirely by independent candidates in the general election.

County Trustee
Kathryn Passons Adcock will run unopposed as an Independent.

County Clerk
Sasha Lee Wilson will run unopposed as an Independent.

School Board – District 6
Chandel Nicole Thorpe (Independent)

School Board – District 7
Bryan Liner (Independent)

With the primary now complete, attention shifts to the August 6 general election, where voters will make final decisions across county offices, commission seats, and school board positions.

The Main Street Journal - Sparta will continue to bring you election coverage, sponsored by Tennessee Credit, that will include voter primers, candidate bios, more Question and Answer sessions, forums, key dates for the general election, and, of course, live coverage on election day.