A challenger to incumbent Weston Wamp has emerged for the Hamilton County mayor’s race.
Political newcomer Mark Herndon, 46, made public Tuesday his intent to run against Wamp. Best known for being an advocate for mental health services in Hamilton County schools after his 14-year-old son died by suicide, Herndon wants to run to provide better representation for the county as a whole, he said.
“I think that this county is champing at the bit for somebody to say, ‘I see you, I hear you,'” Herndon said in an interview. “We don’t need a mayor that uses our county as a springboard.”
Herndon, who is running as a Democrat, said that he plans on living in the Chattanooga area for the rest of his life. He views Wamp as a career politician with bigger plans than holding county office, he said.
Sale Creek resident says he’ll challenge Wamp for county mayor
Wamp, the son of former Congressman Zach Wamp and brother of Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp — who, like her sibling, took office after being elected in 2022 — was defeated by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District in 2012 and 2014. He successfully ran for county mayor in 2022, defeating Democrat Matt Adams by about 8,000 votes.