With the August election about a month away, another state House candidate in District 68 has received key local endorsements from the Montgomery County Mayor, a county commissioner and Circuit Court Clerk.

District 68 candidate Joe Smith, who is currently serving as District 3 county commissioner, recently announced Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden and Montgomery County Commissioner Rickey Ray, District 4, have endorsed him for state House representative.

Smith is the second candidate in the race for District 68 to receive a major endorsement from his party. Last month, candidate Aron Maberry secured the district’s first big endorsement from Gov. Bill Lee.

“It is my honor to announce my endorsement and full support of Joe Smith in his bid to be elected State Representative for District 68,” Golden said. “There is simply no better choice to fill the vacancy being left by Deputy Speaker Curtis Johnson’s retirement from the state legislature.

“I have known Joe and his wife, Una, for many years, and at every step of life, he’s chosen to serve people. After graduating from Clarksville High School, Joe chose to serve his country by enlisting in the Marine Corps where he deployed to Iraq multiple times. After serving honorably, he chose to come home to Clarksville and joined the fire department, where he continued to find success through saving lives as a firefighter and emergency medical responder.”

More: State Senate, House candidates gain key endorsements ahead of August primary

Smith said he was “very proud” to receive the endorsement from Golden on his Facebook post.

Endorsement from County Commissioner Rickey Ray

“I am proud to express my enthusiastic endorsement of Joe Smith for State Representative of District 68,” Ray said in a statement.

“As the County Commissioner for District 3, Joe has continually shown that he is a gifted problem solver, and a team builder who can quickly identify issues, develop a plan, and create responsible solutions that place minimal burden on our taxpaying citizens. Because of his astute leadership and proven commitment to service, he recently assumed the mantle of Mayor Pro Tempore.”

Ray continued to say that he believes Smith is the right candidate for District 68 to follow in Johnson’s footsteps of bringing positive change to Clarksville-Montgomery County.

“No other candidate has the background, skill, and proven track record of success that Joe Smith has,” Ray said. “I am proud to offer my full endorsement and encourage my fellow citizens to vote Joe Smith for State Representative, District 68 in the August 1st Republican Primary.”

Endorsement from Circuit Court Clerk

On Tuesday, Smith announced that he has also been endorsed by Circuit Court Clerk Wendy Davis.

“With the upcoming retirement of Deputy Speaker Curtis Johnson as the representative for District 68, one candidate stands out as having the knowledge, experience, and qualities to successfully represent the district,” said Davis. “That candidate is Republican Joe Smith, and I offer my wholehearted endorsement in his ability to do just that.”

Davis said Smith has “always been a voice for all of Clarksville- Montgomery County” during his tenure as County Commissioner.

“He truly cares about the people and the community, and he puts countless hours making sure we’re represented successfully. He has defended our rights, advocated for parents, children, educators, first responders, and veterans, and he has always looking for creative solutions to issues. Please join me in voting for Joe Smith for State Representative, District 68 in the August 1st Republican Primary.”

Smith has been Montgomery County Commissioner District 3 since 2018, serving on the budget committee, Regional Planning Commission and land regulation advisory and was recently appointed as mayor pro tempore.

What to know about District 68

The primary for House District 68 will feature the most candidates in August, with five candidates on the ballot for the seat.

The candidate who garners the most votes will go on to face the sole Democratic candidate, Garfield Scott, in November.

District 68 Republican candidates:

• Carol Duffin, Republican Primary

• Greg Gilman, Republican Primary

• Aron Maberry, Republican Primary

• Joe Smith, Republican Primary

District 68 Democratic candidate:

What to know about August Primary

On Aug.1, Montgomery County voters will decide who each party frontrunner is for State Senate District 22, State House of Representative for Districts 67, 68 and 75, State Executive Committeeman and State Executive Committeewoman.

The Republican and Democratic frontrunners of the State Senate and House of Representative this election will determine whose names will be on the November Presidential, State and City of Clarksville election ballot.

For Montgomery County, the August election will determine who will have the seats for Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board Districts 2, 4 and 6, following the March primary election.

Early voting for the Aug. 1 election is July 12- 27. Election day is Aug. 1.

Here’s a full list of qualifying candidates for the August State primary and Montgomery County General election.

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32. Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Montgomery County Mayor, commissioner endorse Joe Smith in District 68