Rick Staples stands at the door of Jackie’s Dream in East Knoxville, greeting a diverse group of potential constituents as they file in for a fundraiser one recent warm autumn evening.

Jackie’s famous hot chicken and savory sides are but one draw; Staples’ supporters are there to meet and greet the man they deem heir apparent to disgraced former 15th House Rep. Joe Armstrong. East Knoxville lost a political lion and well-connected advocate when Armstrong resigned his seat this summer following conviction on felony tax-evasion charges.

Staples—and his Independent opponent, former state Rep. Pete Drew—know the district’s next representative will have a steep learning curve in effectively replacing Armstrong, who was elected 14 times to the seat he first won in 1988. Rhonda Gallman is running as a write-in campaign for the seat.

“Change is hard; growth is not easy,” says Staples, a Democrat. But it’s time for the district to resurrect itself from “the routine” of sending Armstrong to Nashville every two years.

Armstrong’s wife, LeTonia, sought Democratic benediction to replace her husband on the Nov. 8 ballot; the 15-member Knox County Democratic Executive Committee in August instead chose Staples, with 11 votes. Former Knoxville mayor and city councilman Dan Brown was also in the mix.

“They are still within my prayers; I wish the best for them and their family,” Staples says of the Armstrongs. “People just want to see results.”

Armstrong defeated Drew for the district House seat in 1988.

“He was very accountable to the people he represented,” Drew says. “He was always accountable, and came back to the district every weekend.”

He was a powerful, even national, force on black caucuses, Drew says of Armstrong, and notes his service extended beyond politics: Armstrong founded WJBE, which airs from Five Points and caters to African-Americans.

Drew, 77, says Staples, as the pick of Democrats in a heavily Democratic district, will likely win the seat, and he acknowledges his own socially conservative beliefs—he’s against gay marriage, opposes marijuana legalization in any form, is anti-abortion, and opposes the Affordable Care Act—are out of step with many in the district. Drew, active in outreach with Honey Rock Victorious Church, actually relishes being called “a perennial candidate. When you don’t provide opposition, you say, ‘I’m in lockstep with political leaders.’”

Armstrong crushed Drew with 75 percent of the vote in 2014. And according to attitudes expressed at a recent political event with Drew and Staples organized by the Knoxville Area Black Caucus, the community is hungry for a youth movement of sorts.

Staples, a 1988 graduate of Holston High School and vice president of 100 Black Men of Knoxville, said at the event we are now “in a new age, with different needs.” Both Drew and Staples offered support for the Black Lives Matter movement; Staples said that greater oversight of police was needed, but members of the community also have to respect and communicate with law enforcement.

The issues of today are the same in both the East Knoxville and South Knoxville areas of the district, Staples says: issues of diversity, education, and economic development.

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Staples muses outside of Jackie’s Dream. It’s an expression he’s used several times over the course of the campaign. He says the 15th District is a microcosm of America, with a range of races and businesses making it “an excellent representation of how our country looks.” It shares many of the same challenges, with economic development and education taking top billing.

When asked whether he considers himself a shoo-in for the seat, Staples says, “It would be ridiculous for me to have that mindset. You have to earn the trust of the district.”

Former Knoxville mayor Victor Ashe, who went on to become ambassador to Poland and is a frequent commentator on the local political landscape, says Armstrong’s conviction and subsequent resignation was a blow to the district and the city that might take a while to overcome.

“We lost a powerhouse,” Ashe says of Armstrong’s resignation. “It’ll take him years to accumulate the votes that Joe had.… His successor will not be able to step into his shoes.

“Odds are,” Staples will win, “but as a member of the minority, he’s going to occupy a seat but not have a lot of influence,” says Ashe, noting the supermajority currently held by Republicans in the state House.

Ashe says a real test for Staples will come in two years when he’ll have to win a Democratic primary—rather than a Democratic committee vote—to appear on the general election ballot.

“But if he handles himself well,” maybe he won’t have an opponent, Ashe says.

Ashe also cites Staples’ nagging child-support issue as a challenge to his legitimacy that must be resolved.

As previously reported by the Mercury, an arrest warrant was issued for Staples in March after he failed to show for court in a case involving more than $8,200 in past-due child support, court records show. The warrant was rescinded in June, when Staples’ court-appointed attorney issued a $3,000 check on his behalf. A new court date was set for Oct. 5.

That contempt case was continued, with a new hearing set for Dec. 8, according to Knox County Circuit Court records.

Staples says he is not in arrears, and “there are no issues; there have been no issues.” The matter of child support was raised as a distraction, but he will “stay focused with our message,” and issues such as infrastructure, education, and health care, he says.

Drew says any issues Staples faces regarding child-support is symptomatic of a larger community problem, but doesn’t see it as a deal-killer.

“There’s nothing that makes me say he’s not fit for office,” Drew says.

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Rick Staples

Job: Vice president, 100 Black Men of Knoxville; Castles of Choice Realty
Age: 45
Education: University of Tennessee; religious studies and sociology
Prior political experience: None
Family: Single; three children

Charles “Pete” Drew

Job: Retired, Rohm and Haas
Age: 77
Education: Vocational; associates degree, Ministry International Institute
Prior political experience: Three terms 15th District state representative; three terms Knox County Commission
Family: Wife, Joyce; 12 children

Thomas Fraser

Knox County-based journalist Thomas Fraser is a native of Charleston, S.C. who grew up in Oak Ridge and Knoxville. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and has worked as an editor and reporter for daily newspapers and websites in Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia.