Former WWE star Glenn ‘Kane’ Jacobs wins second term as mayor in Tennessee county

Glenn Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler known during his career as “Kane,” won reelection to a second term as mayor of Knox County, Tenn., on Thursday. 

Jacobs (R) defeated his Democratic opponent, labor organizer Debbie Helsley, with about 55 percent of the vote. Jacobs has branded himself as a libertarian and opposed COVID-19 restrictions like mask mandates as mayor, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. 

Knox County is the third most populous in the state and includes the city of Knoxville. 

Jacobs told WATE, a Knoxville-based ABC affiliate, that his next term will be a continuation of his first with a focus on education and workforce development. 

“With the global economy moving in the direction of innovation, we have to keep up with that,” he said. 

The News Sentinel reported that the county is solidly Republican, but Helsley had an impressive showing. Helsley said that Democrats “moved the needle” 12 percentage points, which she said she is proud of and shows Knoxville, home to the University of Tennessee, is moving in a new direction.

Jacobs was elected mayor for a first term in 2018 with almost two-thirds of the vote.