Perry Keenan and Hillary Capes-Gwinn win District 78 Primaries

Charlotte, TN — Perry Keenan and Hillary Capes-Gwinn won their respective party nominations for Tennessee House District 78 on August 6th, which includes portions of Dickson and Cheatham counties.

Keenan defeated John Louallen in the Republican primary with 4,492 votes, or 55%, according to final unofficial results from both counties. Louallen received 3,543 votes, or 44%.

Keenan’s districtwide margin was 949 votes.

Keenan carried both counties. In Dickson County, he received 1,579 votes compared with 1,235 for Louallen, giving him a 344-vote advantage. The combined totals indicate that Keenan also led in Cheatham County, receiving 2,913 votes compared with Louallen’s 2,308—a margin of 605 votes.

The Democratic primary was decided by only 14 votes across the entire district.

Capes-Gwinn received 1,208 votes, or 50.29%, while Aniya Farmer received 1,194 votes, or 49.71%.

Dickson County proved decisive for Capes-Gwinn. She carried the Dickson County portion of the district with 519 votes, compared with 379 for Farmer, building a 140-vote advantage.

The combined district totals indicate that Farmer carried Cheatham County 815–689, cutting Capes-Gwinn’s lead by 126 votes. However, Capes-Gwinn’s Dickson County advantage was large enough for her to hold on and win the districtwide Democratic nomination by 14 votes.

The two results set up a November general election contest between Keenan and Capes-Gwinn for the District 78 seat.