Two candidates stand above the rest in the Republican primaries for Circuit Civil Court judge and Circuit Court clerk, according to members of the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association.

Members recently participated in an anonymous poll of candidates in the primaries, which will be held May 1.

There were two clear winners: Barry Tidwell and Robin E. Gentry.

Circuit Court Judge, Division III

Former Assistant District Attorney Nathan Nichols is challenging Barry Tidwell for the Republican nomination for Circuit Court Judge, Division III. And the local bar thinks Tidwell is the better candidate.

When asked "would you highly recommend the candidate for this position" on a scale of one to four on you, Tidwell received an average score of 3.8 while Nichols received a 2.0.

This translates to the bar "highly recommending" Tidwell and giving Nichols a solid "do not recommend."

The most remarkable piece of the survey was 97 percent of respondents said they would "recommend" or "highly recommend" Tidwell while only 14 percent said they would do the same for Nichols. In fact, 67 percent said they "do not recommend" Nichols.

Bar members were also asked about the candidates' experience and judicial demeanor.

Nichols scored a 3.4 and 4 out of 10 on experience and judicial demeanor. Tidwell scored an 8.7 and 9.1 out of 10 in the same categories.

Division III is a civil court, which handles cases like divorce, contracts, torts, personal injury, property damage, malpractice, wrongful deaths, employment discrimination, civil rights suits and tax disputes.

Circuit Court Clerk

Long-time Circuit Court clerk employee Robin E. Gentry is squaring off against her boss incumbent Melissa Harrell.

When asked "would you highly recommend the candidate for this position" on a scale of one to four on you, Gentry received an average score of 3.1 while Harrell received a 2.4.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said they would "recommend" or "highly recommend" Gentry while only 37 percent would do the same for Harrell.

Like Nichols, Harrell also fell short with 56 percent of respondents saying they "do not recommend" her to be re-elected. Only 5 percent said they would not recommend Gentry.

The Circuit Court clerk is responsible for all filings, processing and final disposition of cases, which include several phases of the Civil and Criminal law procedures in the Juvenile, General Sessions (Civil & Criminal), Circuit Civil and Circuit Criminal Courts.

The primary will be held May 1 with early voting running from April 1-26. Other races include mayor, trustee, sheriff, county clerk, register of deeds, county commissioners districts 1-21 and general session judge, part II. But not all races are contested.

There isn't a Democrat running in either race so the winner of the primary is the likely winner of the general election in August.

Michelle Willard is a freelance journalist who fills her days with social media marketing, politics, true crime, and taking complaints. You can complain to her on Twitter @MichWillard or by email michelle(at)murfreesborovoice.com.