The new chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party says the local party has lost its voters and getting them back is the path to victory in the 2018 county elections and beyond.

Corey Strong, an attorney and special projects director for Shelby County Schools, was elected chairman of the reorganized local party Saturday, Aug. 5, following its dissolution by the Tennessee Democratic Party a year ago.

2. New Shelby County Democratic Party Still Faces Challenges - Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The Shelby County Democratic Party is almost back as a reconstituted organization and it has a lot of new blood as well as new rules.

But the final verdict on the party’s effectiveness in a county where Democrats are the majority is still out even after the Saturday, July 22, party convention.

3. Local Democrats Set Reorganization Convention - Thursday, July 6, 2017

Shelby County Democrats will start the reorganization of the local political party July 22 at a countywide convention that will dramatically change its structure to a pair of groups totaling around 130 people.

4. Memphis Democrats Prepare To Reorganize - Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Shelby County Democrats hope to have the local party up and running by the Fourth of July. The Shelby County Democratic Party was disbanded by the Tennessee Democratic Party in August after two disastrous county election cycles for the Democratic slate and increasing dysfunction by the local party’s executive committee.

5. Democratic and Republican Partisans Prepare for Next Election - Monday, February 27, 2017

At least five potential Republican candidates for Governor in 2018 were among the crowd of 400 people at the Saturday, Feb. 25, Lincoln Day Gala of the Shelby County Republican Party.

Meanwhile, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry told a group of 150 Democrats at an “Obama Day” event Saturday that they and other Democrats across the state can elect one of their own as governor in 2018.

6. Local Democrats and Republicans Prepare for 2018 Governor's Race - Saturday, February 25, 2017

At least five potential Republican candidates for Tennessee governor in 2018 were among the crowd of 400 people at the Saturday, Feb. 25, Lincoln Day Gala of the Shelby County Republican Party.

Meanwhile, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry told a group of 150 Democrats at an “Obama Day” event Saturday that they and other Democrats across the state can elect one of their own as governor in 2018.

7. Riding Momentum - Saturday, December 31, 2016

Around this time each year, everyone tends to start fetishizing the blank slate a bit, with its attendant allure of reinvention and that sweeping away of the old order to make way for what comes next.

8. Presidential Election Tops Busy Year for Memphis Voters - Friday, December 30, 2016

2016 was an eventful election year in Shelby County, ending with the most popular voting cycle in Shelby County politics: the U.S. presidential general election in November. Slightly more than 60 percent of the county’s voters cast a ballot either during early voting in October or on the Nov. 8 Election Day.

9. Local Politicos Shift Focus to 2018 Given Expected Presidential Results - Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Former Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism threw a masquerade party two nights before Halloween on an excursion boat.

10. Tennessee Promise Draws Criticism Amid Rising Tuition - Thursday, October 27, 2016

MTSU student Emily Webb cobbled together enough money to pay for her first year and a half of expenses. 

But in the last year she had to borrow $5,000 to keep alive her dream of earning a degree from Middle Tennessee State University as tuition and living costs have increased each year.

11. Cohen Describes Clinton-Trump Contest as “Armageddon” - Tuesday, September 27, 2016

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen set stark terms for the presidential general election as local Democrats opened their Memphis headquarters for nominee Hillary Clinton.

12. Democrats Seeking New Faces in 'Reboot' - Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The political vacuum in the absence of a Shelby County Democratic Party didn’t last long at all.

Following the Friday announcement from Nashville that the local party has been decertified, the Shelby County Young Democrats organization was calling Monday, Aug. 22, for younger Democrats to step up.

13. Local Democratic Party Troubles Follow Abysmal County Election Record - Tuesday, August 23, 2016

To those who don’t live and breathe politics, the Friday, Aug. 19, decision by Tennessee Democratic Party chairwoman Mary Mancini to decertify the Shelby County Democratic Party looks more serious than it is.

14. Shelby County Democratic Party Decertified - Saturday, August 20, 2016

The Shelby County Democratic Party no longer exists.

Tennessee Democratic Party chairman Mary Mancini announced to party leaders Friday, Aug. 19, that she has decided to decertify the local party.

15. With Redbirds Pitcher Reyes the Plan is Attack - Thursday, July 28, 2016

A few hours before St. Louis Cardinals prospect Alex Reyes took the mound at AutoZone Park, Memphis Redbirds manager Mike Shildt confided that it was a good time to “back him off” – or hold down his pitch count.

16. Democrats Continue to Struggle With Dysfunction - Monday, July 11, 2016

As the local Democratic Party’s executive committee began assembling in a Midtown union hall Thursday, July 7, Cliff Lewis, a veteran of the group, said “the local Democratic Party is not dysfunctional” three times and clicked his heels together each time he said the words.

17. Democrats Feud Over Settlement With Former Chairman - Friday, July 8, 2016

Local Democratic party leaders had trouble just taking a vote Thursday, July 7, as the group met for the first time since party chairman Michael Pope signed off on a settlement with former chairman Bryan Carson over missing party funds.

18. The Week Ahead: July 4-10 - Monday, July 4, 2016

Happy Fourth of July, Memphis! We hope you’re enjoying a long weekend – and if you do have to work today, we hope you’re able to sneak out early enough to watch some of the local fireworks displays tonight. Here are details on a few of them, plus other local happenings you need to know about this week…

19. Last Word: Democrats Settle, Scotty Moore and the Top Cop Search - Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Mary Mancini ordered the Shelby County Democratic Party to settle its differences with former local party chairman Bryan Carson Tuesday and accept his offer to repay the party $6,000 at $100 a month..

20. Lack of Major State Races Tempers Political Picnic - Tuesday, June 14, 2016

'Hot' can be a political term. It can describe a close race or a very competitive race for elected office. When former Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism held his 16th annual political picnic Saturday, June 11, it was hot. And few of those at the Westwood gathering, other than perhaps the candidates, would describe this election season that way.

21. Local Democrats’ Differences Remain - Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Local Democratic Party leaders who backed pursuing a criminal complaint against former party chairman Bryan Carson said last week they hope to put the controversy over party finances behind them.

22. Local Democrats’ Differences Remain - Monday, June 6, 2016

Local Democratic Party leaders who backed pursuing a criminal complaint against former party chairman Bryan Carson said last week they hope to put the controversy over party finances behind them.

23. Last Word: ServiceMaster's Choice, Democrats Regroup, Oprah Goes To Church - Friday, June 3, 2016

The ServiceMaster headquarters search is over and the pick is a real surprise as office spaces goes – Peabody Place – not the office building but the shuttered mall south of the Peabody hotel.

24. Pope New Democratic Chairman as Party Pursues Complaint Against Carson - Friday, June 3, 2016

The interim chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party became the new chairman of the party Thursday, June 2. And the local party’s leadership voted to file a criminal complaint with the District Attorney General’s office against former chairman Bryan Carson over party finances.

25. Pope New Democratic Chairman as Party Pursues Complaint Against Carson - Friday, June 3, 2016

The interim chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party became the new chairman of the party Thursday, June 2. And the local party’s leadership voted to file a criminal complaint with the District Attorney General’s office against former chairman Bryan Carson over party finances.

26. The Week Ahead: May 30-June 5 - Monday, May 30, 2016

It's time to get this week started, Memphis! Here’s our roundup of local happenings you need to know about, from a Funkadelic party at the New Daisy to a Day of Merrymaking on the Greensward... 

27. New Coach, Fans Will Keep Eye on Rocky Top League - Saturday, June 13, 2015

KNOXVILLE – Hoops fans, rejoice. Your summer basketball fix is almost here.

The Pilot Rocky Top League returns for its eighth year starting June 15 and should feature 11 players who will be on the University of Tennessee’s roster in 2015-16.

28. New Local Party Leaders Talk Rebuilding - Thursday, April 2, 2015

The two new chairwomen of the local Democratic and Republican parties each talk about the work of rebuilding.

But Mary Wagner and Randa Spears lead political groups whose fortunes couldn’t be more different.

29. Spears Is New Democratic Party Chair - Saturday, March 28, 2015

Randa Spears is the new chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, chosen at the end of a local party convention Saturday, March 28, at First Baptist Church on Broad.

Spears was selected by the new 29-member party executive committee elected at the convention.

30. Spears Is New Democratic Party Chair - Saturday, March 28, 2015

Randa Spears is the new chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, chosen at the end of a local party convention Saturday, March 28, at First Baptist Church on Broad.

Spears was selected by the new 29-member party executive committee elected at the convention.

31. Carson Departs, Problems Remain For Local Democrats - Tuesday, February 24, 2015

With about a month left in his term as chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, Bryan Carson resigned Saturday, Feb. 21, after a confrontation behind closed doors with the party’s executive committee over his handling of the party’s bank accounts.

32. Carson Resigns As Local Democratic Chairman Amidst Financial Questions - Saturday, February 21, 2015

Bryan Carson resigned Saturday, Feb. 21, as chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, about a month before his term of office was to end.

33. ECS Selects Peterson as Head of School - Saturday, January 31, 2015

Dan Peterson is the new head of school for Evangelical Christian School at the start of the 2015-2016 school year.

34. ECS Selects Peterson As Head of School - Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Dan Peterson is the new head of school for Evangelical Christian School at the start of the 2015-2016 school year.

35. Boyd Gets Encore as City Council Member - Thursday, January 22, 2015

After serving less than a year on the Memphis City Council in 2011, Berlin Boyd is back on the council and working toward a longer stay.

Boyd was the pick of the other 12 council members Tuesday, Jan. 20, to fill the District 7 vacancy created when Lee Harris resigned to take his seat in the state Senate.

36. Council Approves Schools Deal, Appoints Boyd - Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Two weeks after they ignored a proposed $43.1 million settlement of the six-year old schools funding legal standoff, Memphis City Council members Tuesday, Jan. 20, approved a $41.8 million settlement with Shelby County Schools.

37. Council Takes Up Beale’s Next Act - Monday, January 19, 2015

Memphis City Council members are likely to have some questions Tuesday, Jan. 20, about the still tentative settlement of the last part of the court fight for control of Beale Street.

The tentative terms of the settlement between the city of Memphis and the Beale Street Development Corp. leaked last week and include a share of revenues from the operation of the entertainment district for the BSDC that would otherwise go to the city, which owns the property between Second and Fourth streets.

38. City Council Field at Six for Vacancy - Friday, January 16, 2015

With a new deadline for prospective City Council members to apply for the open District 7 seat, a total of six citizens had applied by the noon Thursday, Jan. 15, deadline for consideration by the Memphis City Council.

39. After the Campaign - Saturday, November 22, 2014

The 2014 election year began in January with dissent from the floor.

At the end of the Shelby County Democratic Party’s annual Kennedy Day fundraiser in January, former Memphis City Council member and state Rep. Carol Chumney, who was not among the speakers, challenged the party establishment from her table to do more to support women running for office.

40. Legal Opinion Sets Rules for Filling State Senate Vacancy - Thursday, August 28, 2014

The local Democratic and Republican parties have until Sept. 8 to select a nominee for the state Senate District 30 seat that becomes vacant Friday, Aug. 29, according to a legal opinion Thursday, Aug. 28, from the Tennessee attorney general’s office.

41. Kyle Senate Replacement Process Slows - Monday, August 25, 2014

Shelby County Democratic Party Chairman Bryan Carson has slowed down the process of picking a Democratic nominee for the state Senate seat Jim Kyle is giving up effective Sept. 1 to become a Chancery Court judge.

42. Kyle Senate Seat Vacancy Process Begins - Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Local Democratic leaders began taking applications Monday, Aug. 18, for the state Senate District 30 seat in the Tennessee Legislature that becomes vacant Sept. 1.

And Shelby County Democratic Party Chairman Bryan Carson scheduled a caucus of local party executive committee members from District 30 on Aug. 28 to discuss the vacancy.

43. Democratic Chairman Apologizes as Party Parses Defeats - Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Democrats don’t consider it a successful campaign season unless there is some kind of intra-party dust up, the political axiom goes.

That conventional political wisdom loses its validity the more Republicans win, and it suggests that when the differences within the party aren’t mended by a Democratic victory, a bigger skirmish is likely on the horizon.

44. Luttrell: Some Changes Coming in Second Term - Friday, August 8, 2014

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell says there will likely be some “tweaks” to his team and its efforts as he prepares to begin his second and final term as the county chief executive.

45. Polls Open Under Eye of Federal Monitors - Thursday, August 7, 2014

Memphis Democrats declared victory two days before the Thursday, Aug. 7, election day in Shelby County.

It wasn’t anything they saw in the early voting turnout numbers. The turnout there was less than it was four years ago in the set of county general election and state and federal primary races.

46. Multiple Choice - Saturday, August 2, 2014

It could have been an election about the local criminal justice system. The set of once-every-eight-years judicial races was the perfect frame for competitive races for district attorney general and juvenile court judge as the main events.

47. Signs, Space Occupy Final Weeks of Elections - Monday, July 28, 2014

In the closing weeks of the summer campaign to the Aug. 7 election day, the political struggle has come to the place all hard-fought campaigns ultimately come at this point – signs and space.

48. Democratic Sample Ballot Omits Some Names - Friday, July 25, 2014

Not every candidate who claimed the Democratic nomination in the May county primaries is on the Shelby County Democratic Party’s endorsement ballot that hits the streets this week.

With early voting underway in advance of the Aug. 7 election day, the sample ballot does not include Juvenile Court clerk candidate Henri Brooks, Circuit Court clerk nominee Rhonda Banks, Probate Court clerk candidate William Chism and County Clerk nominee Charlotte Draper.

49. Joe Brown Renews Weirich Allegations - Tuesday, July 8, 2014

After a week in which his campaign for Shelby County district attorney general took heavy criticism from numerous political fronts, including his own party, Joe Brown said he has no regrets about alleging Republican incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich is gay.

50. Brown’s Campaign Has Included Many Turns - Friday, July 4, 2014

Democratic Party leaders bet a lot politically at the outset of the 2014 election season on retired Criminal Court Judge Joe Brown as more than just the party’s nominee for district attorney general.

51. Weirich Says Brown ‘Out of Touch With Reality’ - Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich says a video posted Tuesday on the campaign website of Democratic challenger Joe Brown questioning her sexual orientation represents a “sad day” in local politics.

52. Memphis Bar Reveals Judicial Candidate Poll - Wednesday, July 2, 2014

All but three of the 24 local judicial incumbents on the Aug. 7 ballot came out on top in the Memphis Bar Association poll of judicial candidates released Monday, June 30.

Attorneys were asked by the bar to select candidates based on who they felt was best qualified to hold the office.

53. Carson: Joe Brown Not ‘Average Candidate’ - Saturday, June 28, 2014

The chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party said Wednesday, June 25, that he is concerned by questions from Democrats about the campaign of Joe Brown as the Democratic nominee for district attorney general in the August county elections.

54. Carson: Joe Brown Not ‘Average Candidate’ - Thursday, June 26, 2014

The chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party said Wednesday, June 25, that he is concerned by questions from Democrats about the campaign of Joe Brown as the Democratic nominee for district attorney general in the August county elections.

55. Arrests Mark Turbulent Season for Democrats - Monday, June 16, 2014

At week’s end, Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks and Shelby County Democratic Party Chairman Bryan Carson had been arrested within 24 hours of each other on separate charges.

56. Special Prosecutor Named in Brooks Parking Incident - Friday, June 13, 2014

Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks was charged Thursday, June 12, with assault after a Memphis police investigation of a parking lot argument over a parking space involving Brooks.

Before Brooks was charged Thursday, the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office requested that police forward any report they make to a special prosecutor appointed by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.

57. Early Voting Enters Final Day - Thursday, May 1, 2014

The last day of early voting Thursday, May 1, in advance of the May 6 Shelby County primaries finds Democratic partisans questioning each other and faulting election procedures. Meanwhile, Republican partisans have been relatively quiet.

58. Brown’s Contempt Hearing Reflects Political Skirmish - Monday, March 31, 2014

Joe Brown’s bid to unseat District Attorney General Amy Weirich in the 2014 elections probably wasn’t supposed to begin this way – in a courtroom dispute with Juvenile Court that has nothing to do with Weirich.

59. Brown Contempt Jailing Maps Political Challenge - Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The arrest of the Democratic nominee for Shelby County district attorney general Monday, March 24, is the best indication yet of the tumult within the local Democratic Party as it attempts to win countywide offices four years after losing every race to Republicans.

60. Shelby County Party Heads Look Ahead to Primaries - Tuesday, March 11, 2014

As Shelby County Democrats try to improve on losing every countywide office to Republicans in the 2010 county elections, party leaders are also warning political figures who identify as Democrats not to cross party lines.

61. County Primary Filing Deadline Arrives - Thursday, February 20, 2014

A couple of days before the filing deadline for candidates in the May county primaries, it looked like a political season with lots of action at the deadline itself.

The deadline is noon Thursday, Feb. 20, with another week for any candidates who meet that deadline to withdraw if they wish.

62. Democrats Face 2014 Primary Challenge - Saturday, December 28, 2013

Shelby County Democrats hold their annual Kennedy Day Dinner fundraiser Jan. 18 as they prepare for the election year of the “big ballot” – the largest ballot of any Shelby County election cycle, and the one that includes the August elections for judicial offices, which happens every eight years.

63. Democrats Face 2014 Primary Challenge - Friday, December 27, 2013

Shelby County Democrats hold their annual Kennedy Day Dinner fundraiser Jan. 18 as they prepare for the election year of the “big ballot” – the largest ballot of any Shelby County election cycle, and the one that includes the August elections for judicial offices, which happens every eight years.

64. Chism Pushing for Younger Democratic Contenders - Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Candidates in the 2014 elections for Shelby County Commission emerged at Commissioner Sidney Chism’s political picnic over the weekend.

65. Carson Takes Charge of Shelby Democrats - Friday, April 12, 2013

The new chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party says the 2014 big ballot of county elections will require more than a conclusion that there are more Democrats than Republicans in Shelby County.

66. Shelby County Democrats Start Convention Process - Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Shelby County Democratic Party begins the process of holding the group’s local biennial convention Saturday, March 16, with caucuses to select delegates to the April 6 convention.

Both gatherings are at Airways Middle School, 2601 Ketchum Road.

67. Three-Way Race for Local Democratic Leadership - Friday, March 15, 2013

Local Democrats gather Saturday, March 16, for what is already a high-profile race for the chairmanship of the Shelby County Democratic Party.

A straw poll earlier this month at an Overton Square bar featured several dozen teenagers bused in by one of the three contenders that has triggered an investigation by Memphis City Schools officials of the “field trip.”

68. Shelby County Democrats Start Convention Process - Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Shelby County Democratic Party begins the process of holding the group’s local biennial convention Saturday, March 16, with caucuses to select delegates to the April 6 convention.

Both gatherings are at Airways Middle School, 2601 Ketchum Road.

69. 2013 Political Season Begins - Friday, March 8, 2013

There was a brief time last year when it looked like 2013 would be that rare political creature in Memphis politics – an off-election year.

A citywide sales tax increase referendum in the late summer or fall is probably going to continue the unbroken string of more than 10 consecutive years with at least a special election on a ballot locally. Outside Memphis there are municipal elections in Lakeland and Arlington.

70. Panel Sounds Off on New Financial Reform Bill - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The newly inked financial reform bill that spans 2,000 pages was unavoidably necessary medicine for the banking and finance industries.

That was the basic takeaway from a panel discussion Tuesday on regulatory reform hosted by the Memphis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

71. Events - Wednesday, September 27, 2006

A panel of United Nations-sponsored educators from Afghanistan, El Salvador, India and Liberia will participate in a panel discussion, "The Education of Girls in the Developing World," today at 4 p.m. in the McCallum Ballroom of the Bryan Campus Life Center on the Rhodes College campus, 2000 N. Parkway. The discussion is part of a three-city tour that includes stops in New York and Detroit. For more information, call 843-3470.

72. Archived Article: Memos - Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Janie Day joined Enterprise National Bank as vice president in the executive banking division Janie Day joined Enterprise National Bank as vice president in the executive banking division. Mark Pierce and Jeremy Metheny joined the organization as mo...