State Senate GOP Primary to be Contested

The race to fill the unexpired term of State Senator Mae Beavers will be contested .
State Representative Mark Pody and conservative Army veteran Steve Wilson both of Lebanon have announced plans to seek the Republican nomination in the special election primary on November 7. The General Election will be December 19. No Democrat has yet announced.
According to the Lebanon Democrat, Wilson said he is a longtime member of Immanuel Baptist Church and cites his military experience as a good qualification for the job. He spent more than 40 years in the U.S. Army and the Tennessee National Guard and retired as a colonel of field artillery.
Wilson’s wife, Rita, currently serves in the Tennessee National Guard. The couple has two sons, Cory and Clint, who both serve in the National Guard and three grandchildren. Wilson also has relatives in DeKalb County.
Pody and his wife of 41 years, Barbara, moved to Wilson County more than 30 years ago to raise a family. They have two daughters and twelve grandchildren.
He and his family are very active in their local church.
Mark, an owner of a small business which specializes in financial planning and insurance solutions, has multiple business locations throughout Tennessee. He is also a member of Gideon, Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, Cannon County Chamber of Commerce, Private Pilot and the Rotary.
Pody has served the 46th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives since first being elected in 2010. He will be completing his fourth term in 2018. He currently represents Cannon and a portion of Wilson and DeKalb Counties.
Tennessee’s 17th Senate District includes Wilson, Cannon, DeKalb, Clay, Smith and Macon counties. State Senator Beavers, who recently announced her bid for governor, represented District 17 until her resignation September 1.