Williamson County Commissioner Brian Beathard has announced he is running for Tennessee's District 65 House seat, The News TN reports. The seat is currently held by Rep. Sam Whitson, who is not seeking reelection. Beathard has served as Williamson County's 11th district commissioner since 2010, as well as the commission chair following an election by his fellow commissioners in 2022. The Texas native currently resides in Franklin and owns and operates RevHD, a local manufacturer of heavy-duty truck parts.

The Davidson County Election Commission met Monday to set the rules for two ballot challenges scheduled to be considered at a May 2 special hearing. Democratic State Rep. Justin Jones' Republican opponent Laura Nelson is challenging his qualification to be on the ballot after he turned in 26 petition signatures, of which 25 (the legal minimum) were deemed valid. In addition, state Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, is challenging the qualification of his Republican opponent, Metro Councilmember Jennifer Frensley Webb. Both sides in the cases will be allowed to submit supporting documentation ahead of time and present to the commission at the hearing. The Nashville Banner has more on this story.

Four candidates have applied to run for the Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 judgeship formerly held by Melissa Boyd. If the state legislature does not move the seat elsewhere, the following candidates will appear on the Aug. 1 ballot: Jahari Dowdy, an attorney with 20 years of experience in criminal defense and Shelby County Juvenile Court representation; Michael Floyd, an attorney who was appointed special judge to Memphis City Court in 2005; Shelby County District Attorney First Deputy Chris Lareau; and Joe Ozment, a criminal defense attorney with 32 years of experience. The Daily Memphian has more.

The Tennessee Republican Party has finalized the candidates for the Aug. 1 primary. Of those who sought to run for various positions, the party removed 14 and restored eight after those individuals paid their party dues. Among those blocked from running were three candidates for Congress, two for the state Senate and nine for the state House, Tennessee Journal reports. Party leaders said these individuals failed to meet “bona fide” standards, which require Republican candidates to have voted in at least three of the last four statewide GOP primaries. With that move, U.S. Reps. Mark Green and David Kustoff no longer face primary opponents, while Rep. Scott DesJarlais will face two opponents rather than three. The Associated Press has more specifics.

Tom Guarente, a Brentwood tech executive, has withdrawn from the Republican primary for the Fifth Congressional District, according to news reports. His decision leaves Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston as the sole challenger to Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. Guarente said he met with Johnston and decided to support her candidacy instead "for the greater good." Guarente confirmed his decision to The Tennessee Star last Thursday. While Guarente filed official paperwork for his candidacy in February, he never formally launched a campaign. On the Democratic side, Maryam Abolfazli will now be unopposed in the race to face Ogles. Her last remaining primary opponent has withdrawn from the race, the Associated Press reports.

Mike Jones of Murfreesboro has announced he is suspending his campaign for 16th Judicial District Circuit Court (Division 1) judge and will support Judge Terry Fann in the upcoming election for the same position. WGNS Radio reports that Jones stated, “Suspending my campaign was not a decision that I took lightly, but at this time, I truly believe it is the right decision for the constituents in the 16th Judicial District. I now urge my fellow citizens in Rutherford and Cannon County to join me in voting for Judge Fann in the August general election.” Fann was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bill Lee in November 2023 to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mark Rogers.

Washington County Republican state representatives will have Democratic challengers in the August primary. Brad Batt of Johnson City will run against current District 6 Rep. Tim Hicks of Gray. Sylvain Bruni of Johnson City will face District 7 Rep. Rebecca Hicks of Jonesborough. WJHL reports that both Batt and Bruni have stated that they are focused on improving the region's health care quality and opposing Gov. Bill Lee's voucher program.

Maryam Abolfazli has officially launched a campaign for Tennessee's Fifth Congressional District seat, which is currently held by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia. Abolfazli is running as a Democrat in a district that encompasses parts of Davidson and Williamson counties and southern Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Scene reports. Currently chair of the Metro Human Relations Commission, she has been active on local issues such as the recent Titans stadium deal and issues of gun safety, especially following the shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School. Ogles will face Brentwood cybersecurity expert Tom Guarente and singer-songwriter Stokes Nielson in the Republican primary. Abolfazli will run against Williamson County resident Kiran Sreepada in the Democratic primary.

Bobby Harshbarger — the son of U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, who represents Tennessee's First Congressional District — will run against incumbent state Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, in the Senate District 4 Republican primary, WJHL reports. The younger Harshbarger, a pharmacist, announced his campaign this week for the seat representing Hawkins and Sullivan counties. Lundberg was elected to the Senate in 2016 and currently chairs the Senate Education Committee. He also was a state representative for 10 years. The Republican primary will be held on Aug. 1, followed by the general election on Nov. 5.

Judge Terry Fann has announced his candidacy for the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court, which serves Rutherford and Cannon counties. Fann is currently serving in the role after being appointed by Gov. Bill Lee in November 2023 to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mark Rogers. Prior to his appointment, Fann tried cases in circuit and chancery courts as well as federal courts from his office on the historic square in downtown Murfreesboro. He also has been a volunteer legal counsel for the Child Advocacy Center. Fann earned his law degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. Read more in his campaign announcement.