Republican state Senator Bill Ketron had decided to give up his seat in the Tennessee General Assembly to run for mayor of the state's fifth-most populous county.
The Daily News Journal reported Ketron said he wants to become Rutherford County mayor to tackle transportation, solid waste, and education challenges facing the fast-growing region.
Rutherford County has been behind only neighboring Nashville in population growth in Tennessee since 2010. The Census estimated about 308,000 people lived in the county in 2016, an increase of more than 45,000 over six years.
Ketron has been the Senate Republican caucus chairman, the No. 3 leadership position in the chamber. He was an early support of Donald Trump's presidential bid and was the sponsor of a years-long effort to allow wine to be sold in supermarkets.
