Akbari wins special election to fill vacant seat
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Raumesh A. Akbari (rah-MESH A. ahk-BAR-ee), a Democratic Memphis attorney, has won a special election to fill the Tennessee House seat that was held by Rep. Lois DeBerry until her death earlier this year.
Numbers from the Shelby County Election Commission show that Akbari got 89 percent of the vote over independent candidate James L. Tomasik in Thursday’s election.
Of the 3,472 votes cast, Akbari got 3,087. Tomasik claimed 369 votes and 16 votes went to write-in candidates.
Akbari tells The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/17OheHF) she’s honored to step into DeBery’s seat.
DeBerry died in July after a nearly five-year battle with pancreatic cancer. The Memphis Democrat had represented District 91 since 1972.
