Next Thursday's election will determine a number of hotly contested offices in Shelby County, from City Clerk to County Mayor. And statewide, Republicans and Democrats will choose their party's candidates for the general election in November.
Political analyst Otis Sanford points out that the main spectre hanging over all of government these days -- is Donald Trump. In this week's politics recap, we start with the governor's race. Businessman Bill Lee has surged ahead in a recent poll, and Sanford believes it's because he's one of the more moderate Republicans on the ballot.
Still, Republican candidates, including Marsha Blackburn in the race for U.S. Senate, are using their close ties to the Trump Administration to win the support of Trump's base. Campaign advertising has been aimed recently at other Republicans -- questioning their loyalty or alignment to the President, even on a local level.