NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At this point, it might be easier to ask who's not running for Nashville Mayor.
Freddie O'Connell, Matt Wiltshire, Alice Rolli, Jeff Yarbro, Sharon Hurt and Jim Gingrich all participated Tuesday morning in one of many mayoral candidate forums — and that doesn't count the others who couldn't make it or haven't announced their candidacy yet.
"I wouldn’t be surprised to see more get in," said Pat Nolan, NewsChannel 5's Political Analyst.
In a typical Nashville election, if no one gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters move into a runoff race. But this may not be a typical Nashville election. Senate Bill 1527 would eliminate a general election runoff in any Tennessee city. Nolan says that would totally change the playing field. "We’ve never elected a mayor that got well less than 50 percent of the vote," he said.
Pat thinks if the bill passes, it opens up the possibility of Nashville electing a conservative mayor.
"Obviously, from a Republican point of view, in a heavily Democratic County, if you get a bunch of people in there, you may get a conservative candidate who has a little bit better chance," said Nolan.
He points to the 2018 mayoral race, where then-Mayor David Briley was fighting to finish out Mayor Megan Barry's term after her resignation. The second-place finisher was conservative former Vanderbilt University professor Carol Swain.
Hypothetically, had Briley not been the incumbent, Swain might have had more votes than the other Democrats who split up the vote amongst themselves.
"When it’s really crowded, it’s funny to see how the numbers fall out," said Nolan.
SB 1527, as amended, was officially delayed a week in the Senate and has stalled slightly in the House — so it's possible the runoff will remain intact. But with so many candidates running for mayor, the strategy could change dramatically depending on what the legislature decides.
"You can get someone elected with 25, 20 percent of the vote," said Nolan.
Meanwhile, the bill cutting Metro Council's size from 40 to 20 members cleared another key hurdle. It passed out of committee in the House after passing the full Senate Monday night.
