Geter knocks off Beck, other incumbents retain seats in Hamilton County commission primary races

Katherlyn Geter after defeating Greg Beck in the District 5 Democratic Primary on May 5, 2026.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- There will be at least one new, albeit familiar face on the Hamilton County Commission come this fall.

Katherlyn Geter, who previously served from 2018-2022, defeated incumbent Greg Beck by over 400 votes to secure the Democratic primary victory for District 5.

There is no Republican opposition, meaning Geter is likely to win the general election in August.

After her victory, Geter told us, “As I’ve been canvassing I’ve been reflecting back on when I raised my hand back in 2018 to do this for the first time… The first time was about building a presence. This time it’s about building what’s next. I’m really excited. I got my sleeves already rolled up. I’m ready.”

She says her top focus would be on public education.

Meanwhile, in the other contested primary races across the county involving incumbents, the rest of the incumbents advanced

In the District 4 Democratic Primary, incumbent Warren Mackey defeated Elea Anita Wright.

In the District 2 Republican Primary, incumbent Chip Baker defeated Brad Wardlaw.

In the District 10 Republican Primary, incumbent Jeff Eversole defeated Tonya Sadler.

In the District 9 Republican Primary, incumbent Dr. Steve Highlander defeated Donna Christian-Lowe.

Dr. Highlander told us after his victory, “I want to serve the people and I’m thankful that they are supporting me very much… We have got to get roads fixed and I appreciate the help the mayor has been giving but we need to do even more and we need to work on our schools. Our schools are doing well, but we need to continue to support education.”

In August, the following Districts will have contested races:

In District 1, incumbent Republican Gene-O Shipley will face Democratic challenger Mona Petro.

In District 2, Baker will face Democratic challenger Amanda Sovago-Royal.

In District 6, Democratic incumbent David Sharpe will face independent Justin Pinkerton.

In District 7, Republican incumbent Lee Helton will face Democratic challenger Laura Bertrand.

In District 8, Republican incumbent Mike Chauncey will face Democratic challenger Joshua Wichman.

In District 11, Republican incumbent Joe Graham will face Democratic challenger Montrell Besley.

Current Commission Chairman Ken Smith, a Republican, is running unopposed in District 3.

Those elections will be held on August 6, 2026.