Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census,the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's 95 counties,both in terms of population and geographic area. Its county seat is Memphis,a port on the Mississippi River and the second most populous city in Tennessee. The county was named for Governor Isaac Shelby (1750–1826) of Kentucky. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee with a majority African American population,along with Haywood County.
Mary Marsha Blackburn is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first elected to the Senate in 2018. A member of the Republican Party,Blackburn was a state senator from 1999 to 2003 and represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019,during which time the National Journal rated her among the House's most conservative members.
Stephen Ira Cohen is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Tennessee's 9th congressional district since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes the western three-fourths of Memphis. Cohen is Tennessee's first Jewish congressman and since 2023 has been the dean of and only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.
Briarcrest Christian School (BCS) is a private,coeducational,Christian school in Eads,an unincorporated area of Shelby County,Tennessee. The school was founded as a segregation academy during the racial integration of public schools in Memphis,Tennessee. Today,it serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The school also offers "early school" for ages 2-4.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Tennessee may experience some legal challenges that non-LGBT residents do not. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in the state since 1996. Marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples in Tennessee since the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26,2015.
Carol Miller Swain is an American political scientist and legal scholar who is a retired professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University. She is a frequent television analyst and has authored and edited several books. Her interests include race relations,immigration,representation,evangelical politics,and the United States Constitution.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 4,2014,to elect a member of the United States Senate from the State of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander defeated Democrat Gordon Ball,and was re-elected to a third term in office with 61.9% of the vote against 31.9%.
Lee Ardrey Harris is an American politician who currently serves as the Mayor of Shelby County,previously serving as a member of the Tennessee Senate,representing the 29th district. Harris is also a law professor. Prior to his election to the state senate,Harris represented District 7 on the Memphis City Council. He was born and raised in Memphis,and studied at Morehouse College,followed by Yale Law School.
Megan Christine Barry is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the seventh mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until March 6,2018,when she resigned after pleading guilty to felony theft related to an extramarital affair with a city employee who had served as the head of her security detail. Barry is a member of the Democratic Party.
James Steven Strickland Jr. is an American attorney and politician who served as the 64th mayor of Memphis,Tennessee between 2016 and 2024. A Democrat,he previously served as a member of the Memphis City Council. Strickland is also an adjunct professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
The 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Tennessee,alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Haslam was term-limited,and is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Bill Lee was elected with 59.6% of the vote,defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 6,2018,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Bob Corker opted to retire instead of running for a third term. Republican U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn won the open seat,defeating former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 3,2020,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate. The 2020 U.S. presidential election and elections to the U.S. House of Representatives were also held,as well as the State Senate and State House elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Lamar Alexander announced that he would not run for re-election on December 17,2018. The former United States Ambassador to Japan,Bill Hagerty won the open seat by a large margin defeating his Democratic opponent Marquita Bradshaw.
John Williams Rose is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district since 2019. A Republican,he was commissioner of agriculture for Tennessee and president of Boson Software,LLC.
The 2019 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 3,2019,to elect the mayor of Memphis,Tennessee. Jim Strickland,the incumbent mayor,was re-elected to second term in office. The mayoral election coincided with elections to all thirteen seats on the Memphis City Council.
The 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Tennessee,alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Lee was re-elected to a second term with 64.9% of the vote,defeating his Democratic challenger Jason Martin. Lee improved on his performance from 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Tennessee on March 5,2020. As of June 5,2022,there are 2,023,815 confirmed cases,26,103 deaths,and 12,825,885 reported tests.
The murder of George Floyd on May 25,2020,triggered a wave of protests throughout Tennessee in late May and early June 2020. These protests continued throughout the year.
Wendi C. Thomas is an investigative journalist and the founder of MLK50,a nonprofit digital newsroom with the goal of reporting on economic justice.
The 2023 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 5,2023,to elect the next mayor of Memphis,Tennessee. Incumbent Jim Strickland was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. The election used the plurality vote system,with no possibility of a runoff. The election was officially non-partisan,but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.
