2024 Scott County Election
The 2024 Scott County general election was held on Aug. 1, 2024, and resulted in one of the closest school board races in the county’s history, with Diane Smith defeating Carlene Terry in the 2nd District.
Assessor of Property
There was only one county-wide race on the ballot: Scott County Assessor of Property. Incumbent Tiffany Jeffers was essentially unopposed in that race. Although Tim Phillips was on the ballot, he stated weeks before the election that he was withdrawing his candidacy, and he did not actively campaign for the office.
Jeffers and Phillips had squared off in a special election in 2022 with Jeffers winning 3,514 to 2,639. Jeffers, a longtime deputy Scott County Assessor of Property, had been appointed by County Commission to fill the vacant office after Tony Sexton died of Covid-19 in December 2020, shortly after winning a second term. By law, the office had to go on the ballot in the next election. Then it returned to its regular cycle in 2024, requiring Jeffers to run twice in two years.
Phillips, a Helenwood businessman, had filed paperwork to run for the office. When he decided to withdraw, the deadline for having his name removed from the ballot had passed. Jeffers received 1,607 votes, while Phillips received 604.
2nd District School Board
In the 2nd District, which includes Robbins and Elgin in southern Scott County, former Scott County Board of Education member Diane Smith defeating incumbent Carlene Jeffers Terry by a final tally of 219 to 218.
The balloting was tied at 218 after all votes were counted on Election Night. However, Scott County Administrator of Elections said a single provisional ballot had been cast, and it would not be opened until the voter returned with photo identification. The voter did so the other day, and that ballot was for Smith.
The race was a rematch from the 2020 election, when Terry defeated Smith.
3rd District School Board
In the 3rd District, which includes Huntsville and Paint Rock, political newcomer Chris Shelton out-polled retired educator Curtis Bruce by a count of 361 to 186. The two men were vying to replace incumbent Linda Sharp, who opted not to seek re-election.
6th District School Board
In the 6th District, which is Oneida proper, incumbent Llew Stanley, a retired educator, was re-elected without opposition. He received 253 courtesy votes.
Oneida Special School District
In the Oneida Special School District, incumbent school board members Dr. Danny W. Cross and Dr. Nancy Williamson were re-elected by narrow margins. Cross finished 181 votes and Williamson finished with 163 votes.
Cody Pike was the closest of three challengers, finishing with 156 votes. Former board member Stuart Jones finished with 117 votes, while Missy Sexton received 76 votes.
Constable
None of the constable races in Scott County’s seven civil districts featured opposition. Incumbent Chris Russell won in the 3rd District with 409 votes. Incumbent Dennis Chambers won in the 4th District with 195 votes. Incumbent Chad Jones won in the 5th District with 154 votes. Incumbent Randall Duncan won in the 6th District with 207 votes. In the 1st District, incumbent Joe “Buster” Marlow was not on the ballot but was re-elected with 10 write-in votes. In the 2nd District, incumbent Jared Hughett was not on the ballot but was re-elected with two write-in votes.
There was no candidate on the ballot in the 7th District, and no write-in votes were received. The seat appeared again on the November 2024 ballot, with Matt King winning.
Primary Races
In the Republican primary, incumbent State Sen. Ken Yager defeated Kingston nurse practitioner Teena Hedrick by a margin of 1,356 to 296. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated challenger Tres Wittum by a margin of 1,500 to 139. Yager received 78% of the vote district-wide, while Blackburn received 90% of the vote statewide.
In the Democratic primary, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville defeated Marquita Bradshaw in the race for U.S. Senate by a margin of 71% to 16%, which closely mirrored the statewide margins between the two candidates. In the 6th Congressional District, Lore Bergman received 53% of the vote in Scott County to 28% for Clay Faircloth and 18% for Cyril Focht. Bergman also won district-wide, receiving 44% of the vote to Faircloth’s 36% and Focht’s 21%.