KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville voters dodged raindrops most of Tuesday to pick their favorite district candidates, with the top two vote-getters in each district advancing to the Nov. 2 general election.
People living in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 took part in the primary.
Polls in the city opened 8 a.m. Tuesday and closed at 8 p.m.
►Keep track of election results by clicking here.
The races for Districts 1, 4 and 6 each featured three candidates. The top two vote-getters in each of those races are advancing to the Nov. 2 election.
The races for Districts 2 and 3 featured only two candidates, so they were guaranteed to continue on to the fall contest.
More than 6,000 votes had been cast through early and absentee ballots. Unofficial results showed 9,994 voters showed up to the polls this primary. That's a little more than 10% of the roughly 94,000 eligible voters in the city.
Even though the primary was restricted to district residents, the November 2 election is citywide, meaning all voters can vote for council candidates in each of the five districts.
Here are the unofficial results with 100% of Knoxville precincts reporting:
DISTRICT 1
Should the unofficial results hold, incumbent Tommy Smith will face Elizabeth Murphy in the general election.
With 100% of precincts reporting, results showed Smith leading with 53% of the 1,869 votes counted, followed by Murphy with 30% and Hayes with 16%.
"It feels wonderful. Mostly because I feel like what I've tried to do for the past year and a half is help people. And it turns out that that's popular," Smith said.
Murphy said her number one issue facing District 1 is safety, and that support for city police is key.
The district includes much of South Knoxville, a sliver of Fort Sanders and the University of Tennessee area.
DISTRICT 2
Incumbent Andrew Roberto and Kim Smith are the only two candidates on the ballot. They're assured of advancing to the general.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Roberto led with 75% of the 1,857 votes counted, and Smith with 25%.
The district stretches out west along Kingston Pike to Pellissippi Parkway and beyond. Roberto is seeking a second four-year term.
DISTRICT 3
Incumbent Seema Singh and Nicholas Ciparro are the only two candidates on the ballot. They're assured of advancing to the general.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Singh led with 53% of the 913 votes counted, and Ciparro with 46%
The district features much of Northwest Knoxville bounded generally by Middlebrook Pike and Clinton Highway.
Singh is seeking her second four-year term.
DISTRICT 4
Should the unofficial results hold, incumbent Lauren Rider will face off against challenger Jim Klonaris in November. Rider is seeking her second four-year term.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Rider and Klonaris commanded more than 90% of the vote. Out of the 3,687 votes counted, Rider led with 48% and Klonaris followed with 42%. McMahon had 9%.
"I'm really excited about tonight's results, and we are ready to just to double down, triple down and move on to get our message out to the rest of the city," Rider said
"I'm so excited to be a part of this. It's my first time running for political office and now I'm looking forward to two solid months of working hard to earn your votes in the general election on November 2," Klonaris said.
The district includes much of North Knoxville east of Broadway.
DISTRICT 6
Should the unofficial results hold, incumbent Gwen McKenzie will face off against challenger Garrett Holt. McKenzie is seeking her second four-year term.
With 100% of precincts reporting, McKenzie held on to a large lead with 52.2% of the 1,668 ballots counted, with Holt narrowly edging out Harper. Holt held onto a 43-vote lead over Harper at 25.2%, and Harper at 22.6%.
"Amazing, it's fabulous. I'm so grateful for everyone in the sixth district that came out and supported team Gwyn," McKenzie said. "I'm that candidate that can bring folks together. And I think that we're moving forward together so we can make not only the sixth district, but the entire city a better place."
"I can't tell you how grateful I am to be in this position," Holt said. "Myself alone, I can't fix all these issues. But what I can promise is I'm coming to the table ready to work hard, and bring the people together at the table that can solve these issues."
The district include much of East Knoxville and downtown.
You can see WBIR interviews with the candidates here.
