Take two: Election season

Good morning, Lookout readers.

First: We had a technical glitch this morning so you are receiving a second, correct version of our newsletter. Apologies!

Election season is upon us, with early voting in Tennessee beginning on July 17 for the August 6 primary election.

As part of our public service journalism, we aim to bring you thorough coverage of competitive elections across the state, with an early emphasis on congressional primaries in the districts that were redrawn during the recent special legislative session on redistricting.

We won’t cover every poll candidates release and we won’t be writing stories about every new political ad. If candidates refuse to go on the record, we’ll cover them anyway.

Here’s what you can expect from us: our veteran reporters will write well-researched stories that give you the full picture of a candidate, by looking into their campaign donations and, if they are incumbents, their voting records on crucial bills.

We can’t cover every race, but we promise to do our best to get you the information you need to make informed decisions in the voting booth.

Leading off today, Senior Reporter Sam Stockard profiles the Congressional District 6 Republican primary between an old hand and a new blood.

by Cassandra Stephenson

A federal judge on Monday voided pilot programs that allowed a handful of states — including Tennessee — to restrict the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase soda and sugary processed foods.

by Adam Friedman

The Shelby County government sued Tennessee lawmakers in federal court last week, hoping to regain local control over the board that oversees the Memphis school system after the state legislature nullified the board.