The former county commissioner and a set of 15 appointed staff members formally take office Sept. 1 in the office that administers the day-to-day business of the largest court in the state.

The Election Commission’s decision could set up a legal battle a day after the state’s Republican leadership came out against Memphis’ vote on gun control.

“Common sense says local governments can’t override state law to give a 12-year-old a driver’s license, and they can’t override other state laws either,” Hargett said in a statement emailed to The Daily Memphian.

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Democrats rallied in Memphis and three other cities across the state Saturday, Aug. 24, to kick off a get-out-the-vote effort for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other down ballot races in the Nov. 5 elections.

Memphis Democrat Justin J. Pearson, along with Gloria Johnson of Knoxville and Justin Jones of Nashville, had been scheduled to take the national stage just before the balloon drop during the Democratic National Convention.

Three men are seeking the remaining two years of Keri Blair’s term. A former educator, a current educator and a manager at a railroad company are vying for the seat.

“This was a winnable race. This was a ridiculously winnable race,” Lisa Arnold told Shelby County Republicans of her loss.

Some vote totals changed in the certified Aug. 1 election results for Shelby County. Meanwhile, the Shelby County Election Commission certified the list of candidates in five sets of suburban races on the Nov. 5 ballot.

A Parkway Village rally for the Memphis delegates showed the challenges Democrats face in turning out the votes in the November election. 

State Rep. Gloria Johnson, the Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Nov. 5, talks about her campaign and the change in the Democratic presidential ticket on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast.

A problem on the Election Commission’s website led a state House candidate to conclude she won her race when she lost the lead in the last batch of votes by the unofficial results.

With the passing of Thursday’s qualifying deadline, the races for suburban offices — and who wants the voters’ support — became clearer.

A Germantown-based real estate agent plans to seek the Board of Education seat Amy Eoff has held since her election in 2016.

Parr is banker, and her family has a long history in Collierville. She wants to serve the suburb by seeking elected office.

The 42-year-old owner of a local construction company said he wants to run due to “a perceived age gap on the board.”

Natalie McKinney and Tamarques Porter will take elected office for the first time when they are sworn in to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board. Knocking on doors got them here. 

The 13% turnout for the combination of state and federal primaries and county general elections was the lowest in Shelby County since 2004. 

The winners in Arlington’s elections on Thursday now look to the future of a town on the verge of more growth.

Clerk-elect Tami Sawyer said her opponent’s campaign focus on Sawyer’s activist roots was ignored by voters. “I talked about my priorities. The other party talked about me,” she told The Daily Memphian.

Democratic incumbent Steve Cohen won Thursday’s primary for U.S. House District 9. Republican David Kustoff was unopposed for House District 8. Republican Marsha Blackburn will face Democrat Gloria Johnson for the U.S. Senate.

The incumbents in every contested Shelby County legislative primary cruised to reelection Thursday, meaning there may not be much change in the local delegation. 

Voters ousted two of the three incumbents who sought reelection, including the board’s chair. 

Lyle Conley escapes with a narrow victory in an Arlington school board race as incumbents rule the day, many of them unopposed.

Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer won a hard-fought partisan contest for General Sessions Court Clerk in the only countywide race on the Thursday, Aug. 1, ballot.

Rhea Clift will succeed her father, Raymond Clift Jr., as Germantown municipal judge. In Bartlett, Municipal Judge Dan Brown ran unopposed to serve another term on the the suburb’s Division 2 bench.