Bill Anderson Defeats Incumbent Kerry McCarver in Cheatham County Republican Mayoral Primary

*TL;DR: Bill Anderson unseated incumbent Kerry McCarver in the Cheatham County Republican mayoral primary, part of a broader GOP sweep in local contests.

Context Cheatham County held its Republican primary on May 5, the decisive contest for county mayor because no Democrat filed for the office. The county has 29,845 registered voters, but only 3,687 ballots have been reported across all precincts, reflecting a turnout of roughly 12%.

Key Facts - Anderson, the current mayor of Pleasant View, captured 1,781 votes, beating McCarver’s 1,426 votes. Both candidates ran as Republicans. - The vote tally shows 3,241 Republican ballots (87.9% of reported votes) and 446 Democratic ballots (12.1%). Early and absentee voting contributed 2,028 votes, with Republicans accounting for 1,773 of those. - In the same primary, Republican Ginger Rose Vann won the School Board District 5 seat with 402 votes, outpacing Democrat Rebecca Shrem’s 85 votes. - Other Republican candidates secured victories in county commissioner, sheriff, clerk, and trustee races, often with margins of several hundred votes.

What It Means Anderson’s victory ends McCarver’s bid for a third term and signals a continuation of Republican control in Cheatham County’s executive office. With the primary effectively deciding the mayoral race, the general election on August 6 will likely confirm the GOP’s hold unless a strong independent or write‑in campaign emerges. Voter engagement remains low; future contests may hinge on whether parties can mobilize the remaining 90% of registered voters.

Looking Ahead Watch the August general election for any shifts in voter turnout and potential challenges to the Republican slate that dominated the primary.