Vowing to focus on the underlying issues of poverty and education, Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris announced his entrance Wednesday into the turbulent 2018 Shelby County mayor's race.

The Midtown Democrat said he will not seek re-election to the state Senate, where he has served since January 2015 following a three-year stint on the City Council. Former County Commissioner Sidney Chism is the only other Democrat in the mayoral race, although Bank of Bartlett President Harold Byrd, among others, is reportedly eyeing a bid.

Harris, a tenured professor at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, said his vision is to create a community that attracts "the best and brightest." To do that, the county needs to have a meaningful conversation about education and poverty, which are root causes of the metro's crime, job and blight problems, he said.

"I'm not a politician that blows a lot of smoke," he said, sitting at his kitchen table. "This is a tough race. This is a race about whether people want to do things differently."

Harris' announcement stirred speculation about potential candidates for his Senate District 29 seat. Shelby County Commissioner Justin Ford said he was "definitely" going to run — and was the "No. 1 candidate."

Rep. Raumesh Akbari said she was exploring a bid while former County Commissioner Steve Mulroy, whose name was also floated, said he was not — although he is considering running in other local elections in 2018.

On education, Harris wants to put the county back at the forefront of the pre-kindergarten movement, put career centers in communities, invest in school facilities and decide what to do with empty school buildings — issues that resonate with both parties, who increasingly see economic growth blocked by a lack of skilled labor.

On poverty, Harris said the Memphis metro is among the most poverty-stricken, which incentivizes certain types of crime. Instead of electing politicians with the same tired slogans on crime, the community should tackle the underlying issues of generational poverty.

Harris suggested ramping up blight reduction via the county land bank, contributing to the Memphis Area Transit Authority to improve access to jobs, and giving as much attention to preventing crime as enforcing laws.

"Crime is not going to be solved with a message that fits on a bumper sticker," he said.

Harris on Wednesday launched Facebook page "Lee Harris Ready for Change" and website www.leeharrisformayor.com.

The 39-year-old Harris shares characteristics with former mayor A C Wharton, who was elected with broad support across party lines. Like Wharton, Harris is an attorney who, while a self-described "progressive," defies simplistic political pigeonholing. He's worked with Republicans on a range of issues — including with Rep. Ron Lollar to cut red tape for small businesses and with Sen. Brian Kelsey to stop recent drilling in the Memphis aquifer.

"You really can't put a label on me because I'm not a slave to orthodoxy," Harris said.

In the Republican primary, the race is currently a three-way contest between Trustee David Lenoir, County Commissioner Terry Roland and Juvenile Court Clerk Joy Touliatos. The winners of the primaries will face off in the general election on Aug. 2, 2018.

County Mayor Mark Luttrell, a Republican, is term-limited, as are Roland and Lenoir in their current positions.

Tax cuts have already become an issue in that race, and although Harris is "broadly" supportive of tax cuts, he said he wants to steer the conversation toward tackling those underlying issues rather than simply limiting the scope of government.

"If I don't get into this race," he said, "we know what it'll come down to: what we'll cut and how much we'll cut."

Asked about his fundraising potential, Harris declined to disclose high-profile backers, saying he wanted to focus on issues that matter to voters, not the "inside game." But Harris pointed to his successful fundraising track record, with more than $100,000 raised in his race for Ophelia Ford's senate seat in 2014.

Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter at @ryanpoe.