Dickson County Voters to Decide Two State House Races in the November General Election

Perry Keenan faces Hillary Capes-Gwinn to succeed Mary Littleton, while Jody Barrett faces Rachael Murray in the two state House districts serving Dickson County.

Nashville, TN — Dickson County voters will help decide two Tennessee House races this November, with one guaranteed to bring a new representative to Nashville and the other offering a choice between an incumbent and a Democratic challenger.

Republican Perry Keenan and Democrat Hillary Capes-Gwinn are competing for the open District 78 seat. In District 69, Republican Rep. Jody Barrett faces Democrat Rachael Murray. Both races will be decided in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election.

The contests follow August primaries that settled the party nominations but left the final decisions to November voters. For Dickson County, the results will determine its representation in the state House as local officials continue wrestling with school facilities, infrastructure and the demands of growth.

District 78: A New Representative After More Than a Decade

The District 78 election marks a transition following Republican Rep. Mary Littleton’s decision not to seek another term. Littleton has represented the district since 2013. District 78 includes Cheatham County and eastern portions of Dickson County, making the race a shared decision between voters in both counties.

Keenan, a former Pleasant View mayor, secured the Republican nomination by defeating former Pegram Mayor John Louallen in the Aug. 6 primary. Reported districtwide results showed Keenan receiving 4,492 votes to Louallen’s 3,543, a margin of 949 votes.

Keenan brings municipal government and business experience to the contest. According to his campaign biography, he served as a Pleasant View alderman and vice mayor from 2004 to 2008 and as mayor from 2012 to 2020. He also works as an independent insurance agent and small business owner.

In his campaign announcement, Keenan emphasized preventing a state property tax, reducing regulations on small businesses, defending parental involvement in education and maintaining funding for local schools. He also identified Highway 49 safety improvements as an infrastructure priority. Those are campaign commitments voters can weigh as they consider how he would represent the district in Nashville.

Capes-Gwinn advanced through a considerably tighter Democratic primary.

Reported districtwide results showed her receiving 1,208 votes to Aniya Farmer’s 1,194—a difference of just 14 votes. Capes-Gwinn finished with approximately 50.3 percent of the vote, making the nomination contest exceptionally close.

Capes-Gwinn is a middle school science teacher, according to her BallotReady profile. Her candidacy brings a classroom background to a race that will help determine who represents the district in debates over education policy and state funding.

The November election presents a different test from August. Keenan and Capes-Gwinn must now seek support from the full general-election electorate, including voters who did not participate in either party’s primary.

The narrow Democratic primary margin measures the competition for that nomination. It does not establish how close the November contest will be.

District 69: Barrett Faces a Challenger in the General Election

District 69 covers Hickman and Lewis counties and part of Dickson County. Barrett, first elected to the House in 2022, is seeking another term against Murray, a Hohenwald resident.

Barrett advanced without a Republican primary opponent. Murray won the Democratic nomination over Van Harris, receiving 1,202 votes to Harris’s 572 across the district, approximately 67.8 percent of the Democratic primary vote.

Those figures are districtwide totals, covering the race beyond Dickson County alone.

While District 78 voters will choose a new representative, District 69 voters will weigh Barrett’s record in office, which has earned him the distinction of “Tennessee’s most conservative legislator” from Tennessee Stands.

Murray’s nomination ensures Barrett will face Democratic opposition this fall. That is a change from 2024, when he won the general election without an opposing candidate listed in the results.

For Barrett, the campaign is an opportunity to make the case for continuing his service. For Murray, it is an opportunity to persuade voters across three counties to choose a different representative.

When to Vote

The voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 5. Early voting runs Wednesday, Oct. 14, through Thursday, Oct. 29, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Because Dickson County is divided between the two House districts, voters will see the race assigned to their residential address. Residents should verify their district and polling information through GoVoteTN or the Dickson County Election Commission before voting.