January 11, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Clark Boyd, a Lebanon insurance agent who unsuccessfully challenged State Senator Mae Beavers in the 2014 Republican primary, has won the vacant District House 46 seat to finish out the unexpired term of Mark Pody.
The Wilson County Commission Wednesday night chose Boyd over two others to fill the vacancy. Boyd received 16 votes of the 22 county commissioners present for the meeting in Lebanon. The other candidates, Bob Haley got five votes and Kevin Mack received one vote.
Each candidate had a chance to speak briefly about himself before the paper ballots were collected, counted, and announced.
Boyd will serve until the November General Election but he plans to seek a full two year term, though he will have opposition in the GOP Primary in August.
Pody resigned his position in the State House after being elected State Senator last month to fill the remainder of Mae Beavers’ term. She is now running full time for Governor.
District 46 includes Cannon and portions of Wilson and DeKalb Counties.
Boyd, a conservative army veteran and small business owner, announced in September his plans to enter the race for the District House 46 seat.
“I have had a heart for service since I joined the military when I was 18 years old. That same desire to serve and make a difference is why I am stepping up to this opportunity,” said Boyd. “I intend to fight for the conservative values and ideals that our country was founded upon and work to make Tennessee the freest state in the nation.”
Boyd said he is an NRA member, pro life and an advocate for the Second Amendment. As a small business owner, Boyd said he is also aware of the challenges that big government can create for business. He said he will work to reduce red tape and keep taxes low for Tennesseans. Boyd said he will work with other legislators to curtail illegal immigration, and he opposes the establishment of any sanctuary cities within Tennessee.
Boyd is the owner of an insurance agency in Lebanon. He and his wife, Jada, have two children, Wilson, 9, and Blair Ellen, 6. They are members of Immanuel Baptist Church, where they teach Sunday school together and he serves as a deacon.
Boyd is involved in the community in Wilson County, where he has previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Lebanon, men’s ministry chairman at Immanuel Baptist Church, Habitat for Humanity president and chairman of the Wilson County Republican Party.