On September 27th, Knox County voters in the 6th Senate District will go to the polls to vote in the Republican Primary to decide who may replace former State Senator Jamie Woodson (R-Knoxville). The Republican Primary is a three-way race between the well-funded former Knoxville Mayoral candidate and city councilwoman Marilyn Roddy, and conservative candidates Victoria DeFreese-who was an interim Knox County Commissioner-and Becky Duncan Massey, the daughter of former Knoxville Mayor John J. Duncan Sr., and sister of the current Duncan Congressman from the 2nd District.
If you are a conservative, this is a tough race for you. The Duncan family doesn't just have a strong political pedigree, and they aren't just a feckless political dynasty, as some think. While this writer does not know Becky Duncan Massey, he does know Knox County Clerk John Duncan III, and had the pleasure of Congressman Duncan's representation when formerly living in Knox County. The Duncans don't just run for office on their names (as many people mistakenly think), when they believe something is right, they'll fight for it, and even risk scorn for doing so-see Congressman Duncan's Iraq War "no" vote. The Duncans were conservatives when it wasn't cool as a national political philosophy, and people in East Tennessee have always loved them for it. Becky Duncan Massey is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and an advocate of States' rights and limits to State and federal spending, much like her Congressional sibling.
Likewise, Victoria DeFreese is a passionate defender of the rights of home-schoolers, the Second Amendment, and especially the right to life of the innocent unborn. She has been a consistent advocate for real and substantive reforms in our education system, and as a teacher she understands that those reforms need to include real school choice. Like her "famous-name" opponent, she is a dedicated servant to the community. If we may be permitted to say so, she's also a great lady.
Councilwoman Marilyn Roddy is well-funded and might very well have been elected Mayor of Knoxville had she not decided to run for the 6th District State Senate seat. Now that Roddy is running for the State Senate, she has some strong financial backing from her days on Knoxville City Council, and she has to be chomping at the bit, because it is her that a three-way campaign for the 6th District Senate seat would most likely benefit.
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