Democrat Heidi Campbell has stymied Sen. Steve Dickerson’s (R-Nashville) attempt at winning a third term in the state Senate.
The former Oak Hill mayor beat Dickerson Tuesday in one of the most closely watched legislative races in the state. With the vote tally still unofficial, Campbell was leading by 3.4 percentage points shortly before 10 p.m.
Democrats saw Dickerson’s District 20 as a prime pickup opportunity as they sought to grow their five-person Senate caucus. Dickerson is the only Republican from Nashville in either the House or the Senate.
Dickerson reaped the benefits of hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending by Republican allies, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. Dickerson’s failure to condemn one of McNally’s attack ads — which demonized North Nashville-based community organization Gideon’s Army — lost the Nashville anesthesiologist the endorsement of the pro-LGBT Tennessee Equality Project.
During the campaign, Campbell sought to highlight the legal troubles faced by the company Dickerson co-founded, Comprehensive Pain Specialists. She also argued that his efforts at political moderation were calculated and not genuine.
“He tries to ride both sides of the fence and be all things to all people,” she told the Scene earlier this year.
And though Dickerson was able to win re-election in 2016 despite Democrat Hillary Clinton winning his district at the top of the ticket, crossover voting was not enough for the Nashville Republican on Tuesday.
