Candidates have pulled qualifying petitions for the November municipal elections across Tipton County, setting up contested races for mayor and council seats in Covington, Munford, Atoka, Mason, Gilt Edge and Burlison, according to petition records from the county election office.
The field spans six municipalities, with the most crowded contests shaping up in Covington and Atoka, where multiple candidates are seeking both the mayor’s office and alderman seats.
Pulling a petition allows a prospective candidate to begin collecting the signatures required to formally qualify for the ballot; filing the completed petition with the county election commission is the step that locks in a candidate’s place in the race. Several candidates listed above have pulled petitions but have not yet filed, meaning the final ballot could still change before the qualifying deadline.
Covington
Two candidates have pulled petitions for mayor: longtime alderman John E. Edwards, who filed June 25, and real estate professional Chad Smith, who filed July 7. Both pulled their petitions June 22.
The alderman races drew five candidates across three districts. In District 1, incumbent Jean Johnson and former alderwoman Johnetta L. Yarbrough pulled petitions, as has District 2 incumbent Jeff Morris. In District 3, Joseph “Jay” Black and incumbent Danny Wallace, have both pulled his petitions.
Atoka
Atoka has the largest field in the county. Two candidates, Barry Akin and John Harber have announced their candidacy.
Six candidates pulled petitions for alderman: Chris Ballard, Robin A. Barnett, Sherrye Lynn Dodson, Christopher Pace, Stephen Shopher, and Heather Teague White.
Mason
Mason has drawn the most candidates for mayor of any municipality in the county, with four contenders: current vice mayor Reynaldo Givhan, Mason Task Force organizer Michael Harris, incumbent mayor Eddie Noeman, and longtime alderwoman Virginia Rivers.
Three candidates pulled petitions for alderman: Alethea D. Harris, Sylvester Harvey, and Mary Yancey Mason.
Munford
Three candidates are vying for alderman seats in Munford: Steve Childress, Jake Chumley, and Richard E. Cramer. Childress and Cramer are both incumbents whose terms are expiring, along with Jack Bomar.
Gilt Edge and Burlison
In Gilt Edge, terms for Brian Shoemaker, Donna Fletcher, and James D. Farris are expiring. Farris and Nicholas Hursh have pulled petitions for councilman.
Burlison’s lone candidate so far is Danny Howard, who pulled a petition for councilman June 22 and has not yet filed.
State and federal races
We will also be electing candidates running in state and federal races.
Last week, both Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Jerri Green made history as the first women to ever be nominated by a major party to run for governor. The race will be historic as the current senator and city councilwoman run to become the first female governor of Tennessee.
Brett Giannini won his primary last week and is running unopposed for the District 81 seat.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent senator Bill Hagerty, who was first elected in 2020, is facing environmentalist/activist Marquita Bradshaw. This is the third run for each of them.
Coming off of an upset in District 5, former state commissioner of agriculture Charlie Hatcher won the Republican nomination and will see opposition from Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder.
Congressman David Kustoff, the Republican who’s held the office since 2016, will face challenger Heidi Kuhn, who is the outgoing Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk.
What’s Next
Candidates have until noon on Aug. 20 to qualify to run. These candidates pulled petitions and made announcements prior to Aug. 3.
Tipton County voters will decide the races in the November municipal election.