I want to understand some words in the following paragraph.?

Question

Karl Dean came into the race to be Nashville’s next mayor as a political unknown, at least when compared with his opponent. Bob Clement could be considered the polar opposite, born with a name tied to Tennessee politics. Now the two are matched up in a run-off that’s the closest race Metro’s seen in decades.

I want to know the meaning of political unknown and also I need to know what's Metro?

Answer 1

A "political unknown" is someone who was not necessarily born to politics. His/her predecessors were not members of the government, he/she did not follow the traditional path to becoming a political leader (for example, when you look at the political experience, educational background, and military backgrounds of many of our recent presidents and presidential candidates, you notice many similarities).

"Metro" just refers to the city of Nashville, which has the unwieldy official name of "the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County."

Answer 2

I'll paraphrase for you.

Karl Dean is not known in this community as being involved in politics, but his opponent (Bob Clement) is exactly the opposite because everyone know that his family has always been involved in Tennessee Politics. Now the people are the city (metro) are voting and it is the closest election in a long time because both guys have about the same amount of votes.

How's that?

Answer 3

A political unknown is a person who has never been involved in political life, or who has been involved in politics in a minor way.

In the context of the paragraph Metro refers to the area in and around the city of Nashville. Metro is sort for metropolitan (area).