Press Release

**PRESS RELEASE** Knox Dems' Leadership Changes Hands

(Nov. 13, 2023) KNOXVILLE, TN — Knox County Democratic Party Chairman Matt Shears has announced he will resign at the end of the month. CJ Butcher, the party’s vice chair, will serve as chair upon Shears’ departure.

Matt, his wife, Lauren, and son, Henry, plan to move to Matt’s great-grandfather’s farm in North Carolina, which has been in his family for nearly 250 years, and brings the Shears closer to both their families. Henry will grow up within 20 minutes of both sets of grandparents and his cousins instead of living more than four hours away.

“This was a difficult decision made through much prayer and thought,” Shears said. “We are sad to leave our friends in Knoxville but it is important to us to reunite with our families.”

Shears became a precinct chair in 2018, then vice-Chair in 2019, and finally chair in early 2020. Under Shears’ leadership, the party has raised more than $350,000, flipped seats every cycle, recruited the most candidates in decades, and knocked on more doors than ever before.

“It’s not a matter of IF Knox County flips blue, it is a matter of WHEN,” Shears said. “This party is a team of dedicated volunteers, generous donors, hard-working candidates, wise elders, and energetic campaign staff. Y’all are the team that will carry us across the line to a blue Knox County.”

When Butcher becomes interim chair of the party upon Shears’ effective resignation date he will choose a new vice chair.

Shears said, “CJ has the skills, experience, and energy to lead our party forward. He has more campaign experience than I do—having worked for the Kentucky Democratic Party, Governor Andy Beshear, two presidential campaigns, a US Senate race in Kentucky, and more. I am very excited to see him lead our party and bring a new skill set and new ideas. I urge the Board to appoint him full Chair as soon as possible. I am absolutely certain he will succeed as Chair.”

Butcher said, “Matt's contributions extend beyond the Knox County Democratic Party to our wider community. The resilience of KCDP's infrastructure–arguably the most robust among local parties in the state–reflects Matt's effective leadership in recent years. It has been an honor to work alongside him for the last three years. I am looking forward to working with our donors, volunteers, and current elected officials to keep Knox County moving forward. That starts with electing the right leaders.”