After more than two decades as a Democrat, former Tennessee state representative John DeBerry has entered the Shelby County mayoral campaign as a Republican.
After being removed from the Democratic Party’s primary ballot for his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, DeBerry left the party in 2020. Prior to making his campaign announcement on Thursday, he spent six years as a senior advisor to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
DeBerry talked about strengthening safety, education, and taking action in Shelby County during his announcement.
DeBerry said, “I am a Republican and that said, I think that we’ve got to get beyond whether or not a D or an R can be the mayor. We’ve got to get whether the best qualified individual will be mayor.”
