REPLACING MY FRIEND JEREMY FAISION..... KENNY CODY vs. SHEILA McMAHAN - Tennessee House District 11 — It's Time to Look at the Record

REPLACING MY FRIEND JEREMY FAISION….. KENNY CODY vs. SHEILA McMAHAN – Tennessee House District 11 — It’s Time to Look at the Record

Reported By

Brian Hornback

Reported On

October 5, 2026

By Brian Hornback | The Mega Bullhorn of Truth

There is a Tennessee House race (other than the five already profiled) taking place in East Tennessee that deserves attention.

Not because it is complicated.

But because the differences between the candidates deserve to be examined.

On November 3, voters in Tennessee House District 11 will choose among Republican Kenny Cody, Democrat Sheila Grooms McMahan and Independent Larry Jeremiah Brown.

This district includes Cocke County and portions of Hamblen and Jefferson counties.

Kenny Cody won the Republican primary with 70.8 percent of the vote. Sheila Grooms McMahan ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

So let’s talk about the two major-party candidates.

WHO IS KENNY CODY?

Kenny Cody isn’t exactly new to Republican politics.

He served as chairman of the Cocke County Republican Party and has a background in conservative political commentary and writing. His campaign has emphasized jobs, infrastructure, rural schools, conservative values and other issues important to East Tennessee.

Cody also received the endorsement of President Donald Trump during the campaign.

But this isn’t supposed to be a piece about telling you what to think about Kenny Cody.

It’s about making sure voters know who is asking for their vote.

And that same standard needs to apply to his Democratic opponent.

NOW — LET’S TALK ABOUT SHEILA McMAHAN

Sheila Grooms McMahan is a lifelong Cocke County resident and respiratory therapist who says she comes from an 11th-generation Cocke County family.

Her campaign emphasizes public education, cost of living, land protection, property-tax reform, utility oversight and rural healthcare.

Those are legitimate issues.

But political candidates are more than campaign websites.

Their public statements, endorsements, positions and past political activity matter, too.

And that is where voters need to do their homework.

THE COVID YEARS MATTER

During the COVID-19 pandemic, McMahan’s social-media activity reportedly included strong criticism of those who opposed shutdowns and restrictions.

Among the statements attributed to her are comments criticizing Chuck Ward, owner of the Knoxville’s Cotton Eyed Joe and Cocke County’s Newport Speedway, including the words:

“Chuck Ward — screw you!”

The context, according to the material being circulated, was Ward’s opposition to shutting down his businesses because of COVID-19.

There is another reported statement attributed to McMahan concerning a Tennessee snowstorm — essentially arguing that God sent the blizzard because Tennessee had not shut down for COVID.

Those are extraordinary statements.

But here’s an important point:

The Mega Bullhorn of Truth wants to see the receipts.

If these statements came from McMahan’s public social-media accounts, the original posts, screenshots, dates and context should be preserved and published.

Because in politics, receipts matter.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Another issue voters may want to examine is McMahan’s position toward the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020.

She has been described by critics as supportive of BLM during that period.

Again, the question isn’t whether someone is permitted to support BLM.

Of course they are.

The question for voters is:

What did Sheila McMahan actually say and support in 2020 — and does that history still represent her political philosophy today?

If she made public statements supporting BLM, voters deserve to see those statements in their original context.

THE SECOND AMENDMENT QUESTION

Then there is the gun issue.

McMahan has presented herself as supportive of gun rights.

But critics point to positions associated with her that include support for universal/background-check requirements and restrictions on so-called “assault weapons.”

Those positions deserve clarification.

There is a difference between saying:

“I support the Second Amendment.”

and explaining exactly what restrictions you believe should accompany that right.

So here’s a simple question for Sheila McMahan:

What exactly does “pro-gun” mean to you?

Do you support Tennessee’s current constitutional-carry framework?

Do you support additional background-check requirements?

Do you support bans or restrictions on so-called assault weapons?

Do you support red-flag laws?

Where do you draw the line?

Those are questions voters should have answered before Election Day.

ROE v. WADE

Then there is abortion.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, McMahan reportedly characterized the decision as:

“a sad day for our girls.”

That statement is significant because abortion remains one of the defining differences between the two major political parties.

Again, voters can decide for themselves what they think.

But they should know what their candidate thinks.

Here are many of the Facebook receipts of McMahan

GLORIA JOHNSON

And then there is the 2024 Tennessee political connection.

McMahan supported Gloria Johnson in Johnson’s 2024 U.S. Senate campaign against Conservative Republican Marsha Blackburn.

That matters because Johnson’s campaign was openly Democratic and Johnson’s political positions were substantially different from those of Tennessee Republicans.

Supporting a candidate doesn’t mean someone agrees with that candidate on every issue.

But it does provide voters with another piece of the political puzzle.