NASHVILLE (AP) — Two elected officials in Tennessee have launched Republican bids to replace longtime U.S. Rep. John Duncan, who announced this week he wouldn't seek re-election.
On Tuesday, the Federal Election Commission received Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett's candidacy paperwork to run in the 2nd Congressional District next year.
And in a news release Thursday, state Rep. Jimmy Matlock announced his campaign for the seat.
Burchett, a former state lawmaker, has served as Knox County mayor since 2010 and can't seek re-election due to term limits.
Matlock, a small-business owner from Lenoir City, has served in the state House for 11 years.
Duncan was first elected to Congress as a Republican in a 1988 special election to replace his father, John Duncan Sr., who had cancer and died that June.