May 4, 2022 - Politics
Briley wins, three incumbents lose judicial races
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Former Nashville Mayor David Briley won the Democratic primary Tuesday to replace retiring Circuit Court Judge Hamilton Gayden.
- Briley, who defeated well-funded challenger Wendy Longmire, will not have a Republican opponent in August.
- Briley tells Axios he's "thankful to the voters for giving me the opportunity to serve the city I love."
Driving the news: Three incumbent judges were unseated.
- Incumbent Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins, who has served on the bench since 2003 and was the judge who accepted the plea agreement for former Nashville police officer Andrew Delke, lost to attorney Khadija Babb.
- Circuit Court Judge Kelvin Jones lost to Democratic primary challenger Lynne Ingram. Jones has been embroiled in controversy stemming from a series of tawdry revelations in his 2020 divorce case. Jones also testified that he buried $100,000 cash in his backyard to hide it from the state and creditors.
- And General Sessions Judge Dianne Turner was soundly defeated by attorney Robin Kimbrough Hayes.
Nashville school board: In the competitive District 4 Democratic primary, incumbent board member John Little was defeated by former board member Berthena Nabaa-McKinney. That's a reversal of the 2020 election when Little unseated Nabaa-McKinney.
- Kelli Phillips won the District 4 Republican primary and will face Nabaa-McKinney in the August general election.
- Other Democratic primary winners were former board member Cheryl Mayes in the District 6 race and Erin O'Hara Block in the District 8 race.