Freeman Voted Republican County Mayor Nominee at Caucus

John Robert Freeman is now the official Weakley County Republican Party nominee for County Mayor as of a Caucus held Saturday, June 1.

The Caucus was held as the only way to nominate a Republican  candidate for the County Mayor seat, left vacant by former County Mayor Jake Bynum at the end of April when he took a position at UTM.

Over 200 people attended the event, unanimously voting Freeman in as the Republican nominee. No other candidates were nominated. Freeman will represent the GOP on the August ballot for Weakley County Mayor.

“Now that this process is behind us, it is time to move forward as a unified party with more energy now than ever to elect President Trump, and to support each and every Republican candidate on the ballot,” GOP Chair Gary Eddings stated.

Freeman, who would give up his County Commissioner seat if he wins the race, accepted the nomination.

“I hope you will reunite behind me. I pledge right now before every one of you that I am here to serve the best interest of our county, of the people of our county, and of the party,” Freeman said.

Freeman has been a member of the Republican Paty for the past 20 years by helping Republican nominees with fundraisers, campaigning and even serving as Chair for the Election Commission to “ensure that our elections in Weakley County are fair, honest, transparent and that every vote is counted,” according to Freeman.

Freeman was elected as Commissioner of District 4 two years ago due to what he referred to as “a calling to serve in a bigger way” and now, as the Republican nominee, Freeman hopes to continue serving the county alongside his wife, Amanda and their daughters, Ellie and Caroline. Freeman is a 7^th generation farmer and a business owner.

“As a county, we have to grow and thrive or we're gonna wither and die. I'm a fighter. I'm here to grow the economic opportunities in our county. First, we have to ensure the success of our existing businesses. Agriculture has long been the backbone of our county's economy. We have to lean in on that existing infrastructure and we have to look for new opportunities for those businesses,” Freeman said.

Freeman stated that he wants to grow the county’s relationship with UT Martin, seeking new opportunities with the school in order to leverage resources and enrich students’ lives.  

“Together, let’s elect the first Republican Mayor of Weakley County,” Freeman stated to applause.

A Republican Caucus would be held for Freemans Commissioner seat in the event of a win for him.

Other candidates who have picked up their petitions for mayor include Dale Hutcherson, running as Independent due to not being considered ‘bon a fide’ by the Republican Party, Danny Powers, also running as Independent, and Randy Edwards, running as Independent.