The Tennessee House District 26 race has been Hamilton County’s all-around surprise political contest. We suggest voters ensure it stays that way by putting political newcomer Jean-Marie Lawrence in the open seat that should already be hers.
Democrats should call the District 26 seat in the General Assembly the one the GOP is trying to steal. Republicans since June have recognized it as the seat they almost let slip from their grasp even before the first primary vote was cast.
June was when seven-term incumbent and unopposed Gerald McCormick, a Republican from Hixson, abruptly dropped out the race past the withdrawal deadline, and the GOP pulled a fast one to ensure there would be a Republican on the ballot. At the time there were two Democratic challengers, and the winner of that primary was Lawrence, a UTC employee and disability activist who herself uses a wheelchair.
“I have been interested in politics my whole life,” says the UTC graduate, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “Living with a disability means you learn about your rights and how to advocate for them early on.”
McCormick was riding high in his bid for re-election until someone realized he’d bought a $487,000 house in Nashville and listed it as his principal residence on the VA loan papers he and his wife signed the year before.