Dems gain one seat in state Senate, House makeup unchanged
With much of the vote tallied across the state, there were only handful of legislative races still in play.
In state Senate contests, Democratic challenger Heidi Campbell beat incumbent Sen. Steve Dickerson in Nashville, 52% to 48%.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga held on to a 6 point win over Democrat Glenn Scruggs.
In House races, incumbent Memphis Rep. John DeBerry, who was stripped of his ability to run for re-election as a Democrat, lost to the party’s standard-bearer, Torrey Harris, 77% to 23%.
The open race to succeed retiring Rep. Jim Coley (R-Bartlett) had Republican John Gillespie bear Democrat Gabby Salinas by 485 votes. In another closely-watched Shelby County race, Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) won by 9 points over Democrat Jerri Green.
With most of the vote counted in Rutherford County, Rep. Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) beat Democrat Brandon Thomas by 9 points.
In Knox County, Republican businessman Eddie Mannis defeated Democrat Virginia Couch by 10 points to keep the seat in the Republican column following the retirement of Rep. Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville). Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) turned back a challenge from Republican Elaine Davis by 6 percentage points.
Thursday is last day to vote early
The early voting period for the Nov. 3 election ends on Thursday following what has been a record turnout.
In-person and absentee voting through the first 12 days had already exceeded the total turnout during the entire early voting of the last presidential election in 2016 period by 16%.
Only five counties had seen decreases with two days of results left to report: Haywood (-12%), Carter (-11%), Franklin (-8%), Madison (-4%), and Knox (-1%).
The biggest increases in early and absentee balloting have occured in Shelby (+44,914), Davidson (+40,278), Rutherford (+25,177), Williamson (+25,177), and Hamilton (13,573).
Here is the statewide breakdown:
| County | 2020 through 12 Days | Compared with all of 2016 |
| Anderson | 23,705 | 10% |
| Bedford | 12,472 | 20% |
| Benton | 4,918 | 10% |
| Bledsoe | 2,184 | 39% |
| Blount | 43,462 | 26% |
| Bradley | 31,975 | 14% |
| Campbell | 7,361 | 3% |
| Cannon | 3,356 | 22% |
| Carroll | 7,033 | 25% |
| Carter | 10,295 | -11% |
| Cheatham | 14,458 | 28% |
| Chester | 4,772 | 12% |
| Claiborne | 7,832 | 17% |
| Clay | 2,061 | 28% |
| Cocke | 9,072 | 29% |
| Coffee | 14,689 | 15% |
| Crockett | 3,715 | 17% |
| Cumberland | 20,558 | 15% |
| Davidson | 218,787 | 23% |
| Decatur | 3,308 | 17% |
| DeKalb | 4,271 | 9% |
| Dickson | 13,835 | 21% |
| Dyer | 9,750 | 10% |
| Fayette | 13,814 | 6% |
| Fentress | 5,543 | 12% |
| Franklin | 8,922 | -8% |
| Gibson | 12,737 | 22% |
| Giles | 7,408 | 8% |
| Grainger | 5,570 | 21% |
| Greene | 12,872 | 12% |
| Grundy | 2,969 | 23% |
| Hamblen | 13,855 | 4% |
| Hamilton | 88,324 | 18% |
| Hancock | 1,200 | 22% |
| Hardeman | 6,096 | 7% |
| Hardin | 6,636 | 13% |
| Hawkins | 14,092 | 8% |
| Haywood | 4,051 | -12% |
| Henderson | 7,452 | 10% |
| Henry | 9,300 | 14% |
| Hickman | 6,098 | 31% |
| Houston | 2,326 | 15% |
| Humphreys | 5,401 | 9% |
| Jackson | 2,738 | 33% |
| Jefferson | 15,445 | 23% |
| Johnson | 4,752 | 13% |
| Knox | 140,685 | -1% |
| Lake | 1,345 | 12% |
| Lauderdale | 5,784 | 13% |
| Lawrence | 10,030 | 22% |
| Lewis | 3,550 | 21% |
| Lincoln | 8,042 | 6% |
| Loudon | 21,917 | 16% |
| Macon | 6,284 | 19% |
| Madison | 24,788 | -4% |
| Marion | 6,687 | 26% |
| Marshall | 9,961 | 35% |
| Maury | 26,191 | 8% |
| McMinn | 13,810 | 14% |
| McNairy | 6,300 | 11% |
| Meigs | 3,332 | 24% |
| Monroe | 13,278 | 20% |
| Montgomery | 42,132 | 14% |
| Moore | 2,319 | 26% |
| Morgan | 4,370 | 19% |
| Obion | 8,398 | 6% |
| Overton | 6,168 | 23% |
| Perry | 1,923 | 36% |
| Pickett | 1,554 | 13% |
| Polk | 4,693 | 40% |
| Putnam | 18,338 | 3% |
| Rhea | 8,380 | 23% |
| Roane | 16,694 | 12% |
| Robertson | 19,190 | 17% |
| Rutherford | 104,593 | 32% |
| Scott | 5,670 | 35% |
| Sequatchie | 4,272 | 29% |
| Sevier | 23,269 | 12% |
| Shelby | 288,560 | 18% |
| Smith | 5,493 | 15% |
| Stewart | 4,045 | 14% |
| Sullivan | 46,645 | 2% |
| Sumner | 55,595 | 21% |
| Tipton | 18,732 | 8% |
| Trousdale | 2,584 | 18% |
| Unicoi | 5,472 | 13% |
| Union | 3,450 | 33% |
| Van Buren | 1,576 | 21% |
| Warren | 8,960 | 3% |
| Washington | 35,954 | 16% |
| Wayne | 3,466 | 12% |
| Weakley | 9,039 | 18% |
| White | 6,799 | 10% |
| Williamson | 107,075 | 28% |
| Wilson | 54,038 | 28% |
| TOTAL | 1,962,900 | 16% |
Your comprehensive guide to contested primaries for the Tennessee General Assembly
Lawmakers await Gov. Bill Lee arrival for his second State of the State address in Nashville on Feb. 3, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Today is primary election day in Tennessee. If you’ve been reading The Tennessee Journal and this blog, you know who’s duking out at the top of the ticket in U.S. Senate and House races. But some of the toughest fights are occurring among candidates seeking their respective party nominations for legislative seats around the state.
Here’s your comprehensive guide for contested primaries for the state House and Senate. Incumbents are listed in italics. Open seats are in bold.
| District | Party | Name | City |
| Senate 6 | D | Sam Brown | Knoxville |
| D | Jane George | Knoxville | |
| Senate 20 | D | Kimi Abernathy | Nashville |
| D | Heidi Campbell | Nashville | |
| Senate 22 | R | Doug Englen | Clarksville |
| R | Bill Powers | Clarksville | |
| Senate 24 | R | Casey L Hood | Obion |
| R | John D. Stevens | Huntingdon | |
| Senate 26 | R | Jai Templeton | Stantonville |
| R | Page Walley | Bolivar | |
| Senate 30 | D | Marion Latroy A-Williams Jr. | Memphis |
| D | Sara P. Kyle | Memphis | |
| Senate 32 | R | Paul W. Rose | Covington |
| R | Scott Throckmorton | Collierville | |
| House 3 | R | Scotty Campbell | Mountain City |
| R | Neal Kerney | Mountain City | |
| House 4 | R | Robert (Bob) Acuff | Elizabethton |
| R | John B. Holsclaw Jr | Johnson City | |
| R | Tim Lingerfelt | Erwin | |
| House 6 | R | Tim Hicks | Gray |
| R | Micah Van Huss | Gray | |
| House 7 | R | Rebecca Keefauver Alexander | Jonesborough |
| R | Matthew Hill | Jonesborough | |
| House 15 | D | Sam McKenzie | Knoxville |
| D | Matthew Park | Knoxville | |
| D | Rick Staples | Knoxville | |
| House 16 | R | Patti Lou Bounds | Knoxville |
| R | Michele Carringer | Knoxville | |
| House 18 | R | Eddie Mannis | Knoxville |
| R | Gina Oster | Knoxville | |
| House 20 | R | Bob Ramsey | Maryville |
| R | Bryan Richey | Maryville | |
| House 32 | R | Kent Calfee | Kingston |
| R | Mike Hooks | Kingston | |
| House 42 | R | Dennis C Bynum | Cookeville |
| R | Ryan Williams | Cookeville | |
| House 43 | R | Jerry Lowery | Sparta |
| R | Bobby Robinson | Sparta | |
| R | Paul Sherrell | Sparta | |
| House 47 | R | Rush Bricken | Tullahoma |
| R | Ronnie E. Holden | Tullahoma | |
| House 52 | D | Mike Stewart | Nashville |
| D | James C. Turner II | Antioch | |
| House 54 | D | Terry Clayton | Nashville |
| D | Vincent Dixie | Nashville | |
| House 60 | D | Darren Jernigan | Old Hickory |
| D | Grant Thomas Medeiros | Nashville | |
| House 71 | R | David “Coach” Byrd | Waynesboro |
| R | Austin Carroll | Hohenwald | |
| R | Garry Welch | Savannah | |
| House 72 | R | Kirk Haston | Lobelville |
| R | Gordon Wildridge | Lexington | |
| House 76 | R | Tandy Darby | Greenfield |
| R | Dennis J. Doster | Dresden | |
| R | David Hawks | Martin | |
| R | John McMahan | Union City | |
| R | Keith Priestley | McKenzie | |
| House 78 | R | James Ebb Gupton Jr. | Ashland City |
| R | Mary Littleton | Dickson | |
| House 79 | R | Curtis Halford | Dyer |
| R | Christine Warrington | Humboldt | |
| House 84 | D | Dominique Primer | Memphis |
| D | Joe Towns Jr. | Memphis | |
| House 85 | D | Jesse Chism | Memphis |
| D | Alvin Crook | Memphis | |
| House 86 | D | Barbara Cooper | Memphis |
| D | Austin A. Crowder | Memphis | |
| D | Dominique Frost | Memphis | |
| D | JoAnn Wooten-Lewis | Cordova | |
| House 88 | D | Larry J. Miller | Memphis |
| D | Orrden W. Williams Jr. | Memphis | |
| House 90* | D | Torrey C. Harris | Memphis |
| D | Anya Parker | Memphis | |
| D | Catrina Smith | Memphis | |
| House 92 | R | Vincent A. Cuevas | Lewisburg |
| R | Rick Tillis | Lewisburg | |
| R | Todd Warner | Cornersburg | |
| House 97 | R | John Gillespie | Memphis |
| R | Brandon S. Weise | Memphis | |
| D | Allan Creasy | Memphis | |
| D | Ruby Powell-Dennis | Cordova | |
| D | Gabby Salinas | Memphis | |
| D | Clifford Stockton III | Cordova | |
| House 98 | D | Antonio Parkinson | Memphis |
| D | Charles A. Thompson | Memphis | |
| House 99 | R | Tom Leatherwood | Arlington |
| R | Lee Mills | Arlington |
(*Longtime Rep. John DeBerry has said he plans to run as an independent in House 90 after being ousted from the primary ballot by the state Democratic Party)
GOP early voting lags behind 2018, while Nashville surge boosts Democrats’ totals
(Graphic credit: Don Johnson)
Republican turnout has been down 10% compared with the first 13 days of early voting in 2018, while Democratic turnout has been up 3%. Overall turnout has been down 7%.
(This post has been updated to reflect turnout figures for the first 13 of 14 days of early voting.)
Early voting for the Aug. 6 primary runs through Saturday.
The nominations for the open U.S. Senate race in 2018 were settled by the time the primary rolled around, but that year featured a rough-and-tumble primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. This year’s campaign season has been dominated by a bitter GOP contest for yet another U.S. Senate vacancy between former Ambassador Bill Hagerty and Vanderbilt surgeon Manny Sethi.
Despite the comparative lag, Republicans have still turned out in far higher numbers than Democrats across the state, 330,580 to 194,368.
The biggest increase in GOP early voting has been a 64% jump in Washington County, which is in the heart of the 16-way 1st District primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Phil Roe (R-Johnson City). It’s also home to heated primary challenges of state Reps. Matthew Hill and Micah Van Huss (both R-Jonesborough). GOP voting has been down in 72 of 95 counties.
The biggest increase in early voting among Democrats has occurred in Nashville, where turnout has been 61% higher than it was through the same period two years ago. This year’s primary features Keeda Haynes’ insurgent campaign against longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) and a spirited contest for the Democratic nomination to challenge state Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville).
See your county’s turnout compared with the first 13 of 14 days of early voting in 2018 below.
Maps show relative strengths of Democratic presidential candidates
Friend-of-the-blog Don Johnson is out with his latest maps breaking down last week’s Democratic presidential primary results. Have a look!
Knoxville:
Here's a map of last Tuesday's close result in Knox Co. Bernie did very poorly in TN's other major metro areas, but support around the UT Knoxville campus brought him within <1% of carrying the county.#GoVoteTN #ElectionTwitter pic.twitter.com/sT3xQIguUe
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 10, 2020
Shelby County:
Huge difference in Shelby Co. between votes cast early vs. election day. Bloomberg won early voting by 1%, Biden won E-day by 40 points.
Thanks @ShelbyVote for making this data available so quickly! pic.twitter.com/CCiZyR4c2x
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 7, 2020
Nashville:
Here is a precinct win map for the Dem Presidential Preference primary in Nashville-Davidson County. The Biden and Sanders coalitions lined up here pretty much as they did in other parts of the country. #ElectionTwitter #GoVoteTN pic.twitter.com/yZt8uHfsKJ
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 6, 2020
Keep ’em coming, Don!
Casada to run for state House seat again in 2020
Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) greets colleagues during a House Republican Caucus meeting in Nashville on Jan. 14, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) the center of a scandal that brought down his House speakership last year, plans to run for his legislative seat again later this year.
Here’s what Casada said on his Facebook page:
After much prayer and consultation with family and friends, I have decided to run for re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives. I am honored to serve as your voice in Nashville and remain committed to the conservative principles that make Tennessee the absolute best state in the nation. My promise is to continue fighting to help businesses grow and prosper, to be a proponent for lower taxes and less government, to ensure our constitutional rights are protected, and to always work to support the unborn. I humbly ask for your confidence, your support, and your vote in 2020.
Casada was at the helm of the House for all of 133 days before announcing he would resign amid a revolt among Republican colleagues over a text messaging scandal and his heavy-handed approach. He was the first House speaker to prematurely step down from the chamber’s top leadership post in 126 years.
Casada started the year with a combined $549,000 on hand in his campaign and political action committee accounts— a daunting prospect for anyone who might seek to challenge him in the Republican. But Casada still has an audit pending by the Registry of Election Finance. The probe is expected to be completed next month and presented during the panel’s following meeting on March 11.
