Smiley concedes to Martin in Democratic gubernatorial primary
Nashville-based critical care physician Jason Martin (from left), Memphis activist Carnita Atwater and Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. debated at Tennessee State University in Nashville, June 21, 2022. Martin received 101,221 votes, totaling 39.38%. Smiley received 99,753 votes, or 38.81%. Atwater came in third with 56,061 votes and 21.81%. (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. conceded Friday, Aug. 5, to Jason Martin in the Democratic primary for governor.
Martin’s victory was narrower than expected. He won by 1,468 votes, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State.
He received 101,221 votes, totaling 39.38%. Smiley received 99,753 votes, or 38.81%. Memphis activist Carnita Atwater came in third with 56,061 votes and 21.81%.
“Coming up short by less than 1 percent isn’t what we were expecting, but to every person who cast a vote for our campaign keep your head lifted high,” Smiley said in a statement. “We have forever changed the narrative in Tennessee on the type of candidate that can win. We must keep moving forward.”
JB Smiley overwhelmingly won Shelby County with more than 60% of the vote. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Martin declared victory on Thursday night before all the votes were counted, confident in how the remaining vote would break down. But the totals narrowed considerably as he gave his speech.
Smiley said it was too close to call and asked Martin to retract his statement; the Tennessee Democratic Party declared him the winner on Friday morning.
Smiley overwhelmingly won Shelby County with more than 60% of the vote. More than half of all his votes statewide came from Shelby County. Martin performed better in rural areas.
Martin faces incumbent Republican Gov. Bill Lee in November. Lee did not face a primary challenge.
“Jason Martin and I agreed on several issues throughout this campaign: most importantly, that we need to beat Bill Lee in November,” Smiley said.
Topics
Jason Martin JB Smiley Jr. Carnita Atwater August 2022 electionIan Round
Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
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