Knox County Democratic chair resigns, moving out of state

Knox County Democratic Party Chair Matt Shears will resign his position at the end of the month. In a news release, he said he's moving to North Carolina to be with family. Vice Chair CJ Butcher will serve as interim chair.

"This was a difficult decision made through much prayer and thought," Shears said. "We are sad to leave our friends in Knoxville but it is important for us to reunite with our families."

Shears became chair in 2020. During his tenure, the party has raised more than $350,000 and flipped seats in every cycle. Most notably, in 2020 Democrats flipped one of 11 Knox County Commission seats to double their representation and in 2021 Democrats won all five Knoxville City Council races on the ballot after county Republicans waded into the nonpartisan races with endorsements for five challengers.

"It's not a matter of IF Knox County flips blue, it's a matter of WHEN," Shears said.

Shears urged the party's board to appoint Butcher regular chair as soon as possible. Butcher, an advocacy professional at United Way, has worked on multiple Democratic Party campaigns in Tennessee and Kentucky, including for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and two presidential campaigns.

"It has been an honor to work alongside (Shears) for the last three years," Butcher said. "I am looking forward to working with our donors, volunteers and current elected officials to keep Knox County moving forward."

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: Knox County Democratic Party Chair Matt Shears resigns