NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Nashville Mayor David Briley declared victory after an election Thursday to serve out the term vacated by former Mayor Megan Barry, who pleaded guilty to a felony and resigned after an extramarital affair with her bodyguard.
Partial results showed Briley with nearly 55 percent of the vote in a 13-candidate field, likely avoiding a runoff in the special election. Briley became mayor in March after Barry’s resignation.
“I am truly convinced that if the people of this town come together and talk to each other, sit down and have coffee with each other a little bit more, we can do better,” Briley told supporters after declaring victory. “We can actually take this great city and make it even greater.”
Conservative commentator Carol Swain, the second-place finisher, congratulated Briley and pledged to work with him and hold him accountable in the future.
It’s the second time Nashville voters have gone to the polls this month. On May 1, the growing southern city’s voters rejected a multibillion-dollar transit plan that Briley supported.