 Briley's support seemingly meant little to the transit referendum, which was defeated by over a three-to-two majority on May 1, 2018, but apparently his support did little to dampen his personal popularity, as he was elected by an absolute majority to the balance of Berry's unexpired term in a special election only three weeks later over a dozen opponents, all of whom had expressed opposition to the transit initiative.Briley campaigned for re-election as Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville in the 2019 Nashville mayoral election.In the election's first round, John Cooper led Briley 35% to 25% as both advanced to a runoff election.