Jacobs was declared the winner of the Knox County mayoral race minutes after results came through on Thursday night. Jacobs was running as the incumbent, and won against Debbie Helsley, who ran as a Democratic rival. Jacobs won Knoxville with over 4,400 votes more than his challenger, with 63% of the vote counted.
John Jacobs, a journalist for the Sentinel, spoke to a group of people at the election results watch party in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee and said:
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as mayor for the past four years, and I am just so grateful that you have trusted me to work hard to keep our economy strong and to protect our freedoms and our way of life.”
“In this day and age, as contentious as politics is, we should respect anyone who is willing to put their name on the ballot,” he said.
“I promise you, and I don’t make many promises because they’re hard to keep. But I do promise you that I will continue to work hard every day for the brightest future possible for our Knox County,” Jacobs told supporters.
“THANK YOU Knox County for electing me to serve a second term as your mayor. I am so grateful for the support you have shown me and my family throughout my campaign for re-election, and will continue to do all I can to serve you to the best of my ability.”
