Knox County’s District 3 has become one of the most politically competitive areas of the county, possibly presenting Democrats with an opportunity to flip a seat on County Commission.

Oster is running on her record; Super says taxpayers deserve better.

The district runs from Western Avenue to Pellissippi Parkway between Middlebrook and Ball Camp pikes, plus virtually all of West Knoxville south of Kingston Pike from Downtown West to Cedar Bluff. It includes Amherst, Dowell Springs, Suburban Hills, much of Walker Springs, and numerous subdivisions inside and outside the Knoxville city limits.

Incumbent Republican Gina Oster won the seat in 2022 by a razor-thin margin — 87 votes out of 6,009 cast — over Democrat Stuart Hohl. That same year, Republican Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs carried the district’s precincts by a narrower margin than his overall performance. And in 2024, Democrat Patricia Fontenot-Ridley took the district’s school-board seat by five percentage points.

Oster will have to survive a primary challenge to run for a second term in the general election, however. Sheri Super, who rose to prominence fighting mask mandates and other restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, is running an aggressive campaign to oust her. 

Oster has raised nearly twice the amount of campaign money as Super during the entire election cycle — $51,214 to $26,417 — as of March 31. 

Oster enjoys the support of GOP elected officials and traditional Republican donors. Jacobs has endorsed her, and contributors include state Sen. Richard Briggs, Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond, former Trustee Ed Shouse, and fellow Commissioners Terry Hill and Larsen Jay, who is running for county mayor.

Super has conservative political consultant Erik Wiatr and his network of donors and campaign workers on her team.

We talked to Oster for this article, but Super did not respond to interview requests. We used information from her website, Facebook page and news reports to assemble her profile.

The winner of the GOP primary will face community banker Brandon Huckaby, who is unopposed on the Democratic ballot, in the general election. We will profile Huckaby during that portion of the election cycle.

Gina Oster

When Oster first ran for the seat three years ago, she said one of the major issues that she wanted to address in District 3 was the longstanding flooding problem in the Cedar Bluff area. She said recently that she’s delivering.

“We’re actually starting on phase two over at Dutchtown Road and Cedar Bluff, so we’ll be doing all the water mitigation there, and then we’re building a huge watershed that’s going to take care of the water now and in the future,” she said. “The flooding over at Dutchtown/Cedar Bluff now is almost nonexistent, so it’s awesome.”

Oster emphasizes that the county has spent $6 million and paved 15.11 miles of roads in the district since she was elected in 2022, improvements she’s brought to the district.

“We’ve got more work to do,” she said. Road work at Bakertown Road and Joe Hinton Road has been approved, “so we will be opening up that terrible turn that’s right there, and repaving Joe Hinton and making that better. And then I was able to get a new stop light put in over at Dutchtown and Mabry Hood (Road) to help with the extra traffic from the apartments on Mabry Hood.” 

Oster currently serves as chair of the Commission, which has provided her with a countywide perspective as well. Though the county has a backlog of infrastructure projects and deferred maintenance, she said managing the budget — especially meeting the county’s debt obligations — would be the biggest challenge facing commissioners in the coming years.

“We’ll be working under Mayor Jacobs’ budget for the next year, which actually is a great opportunity for the new commissioners coming in, for them to really understand the departments, how they all work, the needs that we have in the county.”

Oster, 57, grew up in Karns and attended Pellissippi State Community College. She got involved with the Cedar Bluff PTA the year before her first child even entered school because she wanted to know what was going on in the classrooms and hallways. She was eventually elected president of the Cedar Bluff PTA and was active in the Knox County PTAs while her three sons were in school. She is a former chair of the Sheriff’s Merit System Council. A Realtor, Oster lives in the Cedar Bluff area with her husband, Stanton.

Oster ran for office before she won her Commission seat, losing close contests for the school board in 2012 and the state House of Representatives in 2020. 

This campaign has been tough because, she said, Super has been “extremely negative.” She said she has focused on her campaign.

“I will not get down in the mud,” Oster said. “I’ve run a clean campaign. I’m proud of that. I’m going to stand on my integrity, and if somebody else has to run a smear campaign, that says more about them than it does me.”

Oster said she’s pleased with her fundraising efforts and with the support from her constituents as she’s been knocking on doors. Jacobs has campaigned with her, which she said has been a big help.

When talking to voters, she emphasizes her record.

“It’s just real accountability, real results, and it’s just continuing to serve the district and really put them first,” Oster said, adding that her constituents reach out to her with all kinds of issues. “They know who I am. They know they’ve seen the work. They know that I care. They know that I have a heart for service, and I think that’s going to get me to the next term so I can really finish the job that I started here in District 3.” 

Sheri Super

On her website, Super describes herself as a Christian conservative and a “lifelong advocate for family values, parental rights, and fiscal responsibility.”

This is Super’s first run for office, but she’s been active in civic life, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. She was a vocal opponent of mask mandates and the school system’s remote-education measures.

As a leader (a former chair, she’s currently vice chair) of Moms for Liberty Knox County, she led the organization’s efforts to remove books and other materials they deemed offensive from school libraries.

Super said she’s running to unseat Oster because “Knox County taxpayers deserve better.” 

In District 3, she’s an advocate for improved infrastructure and safe roads, and staunchly opposes high-density development.

“As a community leader, I’ve advocated for infrastructure that protects our families and supports daily life in West Knox,” she told KnoxTNToday. “I’ll push for targeted investments in road repairs and maintenance, ensuring that high-traffic areas like those in Amherst, Ball Camp, and Cedar Bluff are prioritized to reduce accidents and improve flow.”

Super said on her website that she’s “determined to safeguard West Knox neighborhoods such as Amherst, Ball Camp, and Cedar Bluff from reckless high-density development that threatens property values and quality of life.”

On her Facebook page, she dismissively refers to Oster as a “High Density Darling” who she alleges is in the pockets of developers. She also accuses Oster of being a RINO — Republican In Name Only — because she voted for Democrat Courtney Durrett as Commission chair in 2022 and supported Democrat Damon Rawls’ appointment to the Commission’s Rules Committee.

Other priorities Super identifies are public safety, strong schools and low taxes.

“I’ll promote economic growth through pro-business policies that attract jobs and investment to Knox County, fostering a thriving economy that naturally boosts revenue through expanded opportunities while keeping government limited and accountable,” she told KnoxTNToday.

Married and the mother of eight children, Super lives north of Cedar Bluff off Middlebrook Pike. She grew up in Naperville, Ill., and has lived in Knox County for more than 30 years.

Her involvement in her children’s schools sparked her interest in civic matters, which led to her involvement with Moms for Liberty, an influential conservative organization that opposes school curricula dealing with racism, LGBTQ rights and gender identity.

At a 2024 school board meeting, she read a portion of a sex-education book available in some high school libraries that discussed anal sex and hygiene. “Are we now educating children on how to disinfect butt plugs?” Super asked. “Is this where we are?”

Her website focuses on national issues more than most candidates for local office, particularly immigration. She said she would put “American citizens first” and wouldn’t fund “illegal immigrants” or a “radical LGBTQ agenda” with taxpayer dollars. Super also declares that she’s “Pro-Trump.”

Super said transparency and resident involvement are important, and if elected she would host regular town-hall meetings, create advisory committees for key issues and ensure open access to Commission meetings.

“I’ll amplify voices from all corners of District 3, fostering a government that truly listens and responds to taxpayers, not special interests,” she told KnoxTNToday.