The MSCS board filed a request Tuesday to pause candidate filing while a lawsuit against the 2026 reset election plays out. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said a pause would cause “electoral chaos.

Rutherford County District 1 Commissioner Steve Pearcy and District 18 challenger Eddie Sanders emerged as first two to qualify for 2026 elections.

MSCS is suing to stop an unprecedented mega-election that will put all nine board seats on the May ballot. The race comes with big implications for a state takeover, and a new superintendent is on the horizon.

In 2026, the City of Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee state and federal seats will be up for election. The first of the three elections will be held on May 5 with the state and county primaries. The Tennessee Secretary of State has announced important dates of each election, such as candidate filing dates and voter registration.

Domonica Bryan, a former Democratic candidate for State Senate, is the new Knox County Democratic Party chair. County Democrats elected Bryan, a 40-year-old Tennessee Department of Children Services investigator, to replace former chair Stuart Hohl, who stepped down to focus on his career.