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TN Politics: New Legal Opinion Could Disqualify Candidates in Memphis Mayor's Race

Memphis City Hall
Christopher Blank/WKNO-FM
Memphis City Hall

A new reading of a residency requirement for candidates running for Memphis Mayor could affect three of the most high profile names in the race so far and completely upend what will already be a crowded ballot.

Political analyst Otis Sanford says the new, under-the-radar interpretation by the Shelby County Election Commission has some candidates wondering if there may be some "nefarious" backroom dealing going on. He adds that a judge will have to settle the issue for good.

In the General Assembly this week, the powerful anti-abortion group Tennessee Right to Life has said it may allow changes to the state's strict anti-abortion law that could save the life of a mother. Sanford says this could encourage some Republicans to make needed amendments.

Finally, advocates for preserving the MidSouth Coliseum are hoping the city council might find a new purpose for the historic arena that Mayor Jim Strickland says should be razed and replaced with a soccer stadium. Sanford says conversations about the venue have been going on for a long time with no end in sight.

Reporting from the gates of Graceland to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Christopher has covered Memphis news, arts, culture and politics for more than 20 years in print and on the radio. He is currently WKNO's News Director and Senior Producer at the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. Join his conversations about the Memphis arts scene on the WKNO Culture Desk Facebook page.