Kent Syler, Political Science Professor at MTSU, talks local, state and national politics with NewsRadio WGNS. He discusses many issues that will face voters not only today (Thursday 8-2-18) in the county general and state primary, but in the state and federal general election in November.

Syler says while people get amped up for national elections, it's the local races like county commission and the state legislature that we should focus on:

He say in this era of party politics, the "R" or "D" beside someone's name is seen as more important than the issues:

Syler believes party politics, especially on the local level, makes it hard for people to choose the most qualified person for a particular office:

He says term limits for elected officials has been a discussion had for many years. He admits politicians do look ahead to the next election:

Syler says the last several elections, Tennessee has not been in the spotlight. But with key gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races, we are seeing political money pouring into the state:

He says looking ahead, the race for U.S. Senate between Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen will be interesting to watch between now and November: