NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There's no question about it, it's a big field of candidates vying to be Nashville's next mayor.
On Thursday night, eight candidates will participate in a debate hosted by NewsChannel 5, the Tennessean, Belmont University and the League of Women Voters.
According to our political analyst, Pat Nolan, there's only one thing he knows for certain — it's still anybody's to win... or lose. "Nobody’s ready to say: this is the front runner," said Nolan, who has covered Metro politics for five decades. "I didn’t expect to see this race this jumbled up, this close to early voting."
Because the race is so tight, Nolan thinks candidates might finally start slinging some mud at each other, but he warns that strategy brings some risks as well.
"If you pick a fight in this crowded of a race, you may wind up swinging at one person and hitting another person or hitting yourself," he said.
He says there could be other ways for candidates to stand out from the field too, like earning endorsements from prominent labor unions. "They haven’t done an endorsement yet and I’m a little bit surprised," said Nolan.
Nolan says old-fashioned yard signs and elected official endorsements could differentiate as well.
"In a race where you’ve got this many undecided people, it might make a little bit more difference than usual — although over the years, endorsements have sort of faded a little bit," he said.
Above all else, Nolan will be watching to see who says something memorable.
Anchor Rhori Johnston and The Tennesseean's opinion and engagement editor David Plazas will moderate the debate. Eight candidates are scheduled to take part.
WHO'S DEBATING
- Sen. Heidi Campbell
- Councilman Freddie O'Connell
- Jim Gingrich
- Councilwoman Sharon Hurt
- Alice Rolli
- Property Assessor Vivian Wilhoite
- Matt Wiltshire
- Sen. Jeff Yarbro
HOW TO WATCH
Our debates are free to attend, but you will need a ticket to get in. You can reserve your ticket for the June debate here. The debate time is 6:30 p.m.
NewsChannel 5 will show the debate live on TV, our streaming platforms, and social media for those who cannot attend in person.
Want to submit a question for the debate? You can do so at debate@newschannel5.com.
NEXT DEBATE
- July 6 at American Baptist College
