Democrat Bryan Goldberg is running for state Rep. Elaine Davis' seat
First-term state Rep. Elaine Davis will face a Democratic challenger this November. Bryan Goldberg entered the race Jan. 9 for Tennessee's 18th District, which includes west and south Knox County.
Goldberg considers himself a moderate Democrat. He told Knox News he was inspired to get into the race after receiving encouragement from across the aisle.
"Obviously, Democrats are unhappy with the direction of this state but it's even a lot of moderate Republicans," Goldberg said. "That caught me off guard. (Moderate Republicans) have no longer found a place within their own party but are also equally upset about the legislative agenda within our state."
He's passionate about gun reform, women's health care and public education.
"We don't have a representative advocating common sense legislation for this district, and I think this district deserves better and can be represented by someone more effectively," he said.
Davis told Knox News from the House floor she's proud to represent District 18.
"My focus is on the priorities of the people of Knox County and working to keep taxes low, improving education and strengthening public safety," she said in a text.
Goldberg is the general manager of BELFOR Knoxville. He's served as president of the Knoxville Jewish Alliance where he participated in Leadership Knoxville and the FBI Citizens Academy Program, according to his website. He is a member of Knox News' 40 Under 40 class of 2022.
Democrats are hungry to win the 18th District
Davis was elected to the seat in 2022 with 54% of the vote. In 2023, several decisions made her seat a target for Democratic hopefuls, including voting to expel the Tennessee Three, her bill to restrict early voting (which she withdrew) and her successful bid to do away with Knoxville's voting system.
And the Knox County Democratic Party isn't shying away. Former Knox County Democratic Party Chair Matt Shears told Knox News in 2022 he expects the district to go blue in the next few election cycles because it fits the pattern of neighborhoods turning blue: suburban voters along the Interstate 40 corridor.
Jack Vaughan, a Knox County Democratic Party field organizer, said in April 2023 he expects candidate quality to have an impact as well.
"(Republican) Eddie Mannis got a lot of moderate support and had some Democrats support him. But Elaine Davis had none of that, and (Democrat) Gregory Kaplan got some Republican moderates to vote for him," he said.
Mannis held Davis' seat before her 2022 election and considers himself moderate. He told Knox News after Goldberg's announcement the district needs someone who's loyal to constituents.
"I understand partisan politics, but we need someone who can really think for themselves and is true to their constituents and the people who voted them into office, instead of loyalty to party at all costs," he said.
Mannis declined to run for reelection in 2022 after being a minority in his party on several issues surrounding LGBTQ+ students in schools.
So far, Goldberg and Davis are the only candidates for the Nov. 5 election. They will each appear on their parties' primary ballots Aug. 1.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Democrat Bryan Goldberg is running for state Rep. Elaine Davis' seat
