County Commission Chairman Sabrena Smedley has filed papers in Nashville challenging the results of the May 3 Republican primary election for county mayor.
She said Matt Hullander, who finished third in the race, has agreed to sign on to her appeal.
Weston Wamp was declared the winner of the primary with 14,425 votes to 14,104 for Ms. Smedley and 12,171 for Mr. Hullander.
Ms. Smedley said the appeal was filed "due to evidence of an organized effort by Democrats to influence the outcome of the Republican primary by massive cross-over voting."
Weston Wamp said, "This is a sad, selfish attempt by Sabrena Smedley to disenfranchise Republican voters across Hamilton County and undermine confidence in our local elections. Our campaign won 54 of 90 precincts in the Republican primary compared to Smedley’s 28 and Matt Hullander’s 10. The election results were certified by the Republican-led Hamilton County Election Commission on Friday.
"The hypocrisy of Ms. Smedley is stunning. Her own campaign team openly solicited Democratic votes on social media, and her campaign proudly promoted the endorsement of the liberal teacher’s union on television ads and mailers in an effort to attract Democratic voters.
"In its history, the Republican State Executive Committee has never overturned the will of the people, and I am confident they will quickly reject this baseless appeal."