A new face will be representing Carter County in Nashville as local businessman John Holsclaw,Jr. takes over as the State Representative for the 4th District.
Holsclaw defeated challenger Judy Veeneman during the August primary to earn the Republican nomination for the seat and on Tuesday he defeated Democrat challenger Rob Martin, capturing 83.5 percent of the votes in Carter County. A portion of the 4th District lies in Unicoi County, and Holsclaw won that area by a landslide margin as well. Overall, Holsclaw won the District with 82 percent of the vote, garnering 10,589 votes to Martin’s 2,326.
“We are tickled,” Holsclaw said of his margin of victory. “We are extremely blessed. I look forward to good things.”
While he does have some goals he would like to accomplish in the state legislature, Holsclaw said he would rather not discuss them until he gets to Nashville to see what he can do. One thing he did discuss was the economic situation facing Carter and Unicoi Counties.
“We will achieve some economic funding up here,” Holsclaw said. “I don’t know what we will be able to get, but I will work hard to get whatever I can.”
One thing which was different this election, Holsclaw said, was the amount of attention paid to Northeast Tennessee by several of the state’s top officials – including Gov. Bill Haslam and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, both of whom made a campaign appearance for Holsclaw in Elizabethton in October.
“They are showing how important we are,” Holsclaw said, adding by coming to Elizabethton those officials showed their dedication to this region of the state.