There's a real kind of thing going down ...
They wanted the Funk. They got the Funk.
For the first time in half a century, Nashville voters, albeit a relatively small group of them, elected a new district attorney Tuesday night when defense attorney Glenn Funk won the Democratic primary, defeating Rob McGuire and Diane Lance. Since he has no Republican opposition in the general election, Funk's victory means he will replace outgoing DA Torry Johnson in September.
When the results of early voting appeared Tuesday night, they showed Funk with a 10 point lead that did not diminish as the rest of the returns came in. By the end of the night he had secured 46 percent of the vote to McGuire's 36 percent.
The solid victory is notable not just because DAs in Nashville tend to stick around for decades, but because it represents a failed passing of the baton in Metro politics. McGuire was Johnson's handpicked successor, having stood at Johnson's side during his retirement press conference and accepted his endorsement. To some in Nashville's chattering class, it was a bad look, but it also secured McGuire the initial support of a long list local politicos. That support would later splinter in the three-way race, though as McGuire's adopted incumbency was crushed under the weight of Funk's money and his ubiquitous ad campaign.
Perhaps the Funk campaign was already feeling the good vibes when they decided to hold their election night watch party at Winners. There was a celebratory air about the aptly named Hillsboro Village Midtown watering hole Tuesday, with supporters packed in to watch the returns come in, many wearing t-shirts that read "Glenn gives a Funk about Justice." As soon as word began to spread that McGuire had called to concede (not long after Pith had called the race), someone hit play on the Parliament classic and the crowd started singing along.
"I think what it is is not just experience and qualifications, but connections from across Davidson County," Funk told Pith when asked what he thought made the difference. "Because I've been working in this community for 29 years, whether it's nonprofits, whether it's representing folks, whether it's getting out in the community and trying to make a difference, I've made people-to-people connections in 29 years and those people got out, they supported this campaign with their time, they supported it with their talent, and they really, really said this is someone that Nashville can trust with this important position."
With no general election campaign to run, Funk will have nearly four months to get a running head start before he takes office. Funks said he planned to make calls to Mayor Karl Dean and Johnson today to begin planning the transition (after he closes up his private defense practice). Beyond that, he reiterated the goals he outlined during the campaign: implementing his domestic violence action plan, and working to increase diversity in the DA's office, which he has said is needed in order to make the largely white office "look like Nashville."
* But even as the celebration was ongoing, political observers — and future candidates — were buzzing about the impressive turnout driven by black candidates like incumbent General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell, who might as well have been unopposed. Bell received more than 21,000 votes, besting her challenger Blake Freeman by more than 13,000.
* In the race for Juvenile Court Judge, Sheila Calloway ousted incumbent Judge Sophia Brown Crawford by nearly 8,000 votes, and in a close General Sessions race, Allegra Walker beat Vince Wyatt by 976 votes.
* Howard Gentry was unopposed in his re-election as Criminal Court Clerk, and Daron Hall — who may have actually been kicking off his mayoral campaign — was practically unopposed in reclaiming his post as Sheriff.
* Years of bad press finally caught up to Circuit Court Judge Carol Soloman, who was unseated by Kelvin Jones.
