It’s Election Day in Tennessee. Here are the state races we’re following
Tennessee voters who weren’t among the record numbers casting early or absentee ballots go to the polls Tuesday to make their choices for president, Congress, and General Assembly.
Much of the attention and outside spending was focused on the Republican Senate primary decided in August. Republican nominee Bill Hagerty, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, now faces Democrat Marquita Bradshaw, an environmental activist from Memphis.
On the legislative front, here are the races drawing the most attention:
Senate:
District 20, Nashville: Republican Sen. Steve Dickerson of Nashville is being challenged by former Oak Hill Mayor Heidi Campbell.
District 10, Hamilton and Bradley counties: Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga faces Democrat Glenn Scruggs, an assistant police chief.
House:
District 97 in Shelby County: The open race for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Jim Coley (R-Bartlett) pits Republican John Gillespie against Democrat Gabby Salinas.
District 83 in Shelby County: House Education Chairman Mark White (R-Memphis) faces Democrat Jerri Green, an attorney and school voucher opponent.
District 49 in Rutherford County: Rep. Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) is facing his latest spirited challenge in Rutherford County from Democrat Brandon Thomas, an hourly worker at a Walmart in Smyrna.
District 90 in Shelby County: Running as an independent following his ouster from the Democratic Party this spring, Rep. John DeBerry faces Torrey Harris, a reproductive rights and AIDS advocate.
District 18 in Knox County. In the race to succeed retiring Rep. Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville), Republican Businessman Eddie Mannis faces Democrat Virginia Couch, an attorney.
District 67 in Montgomery County: Freshman Rep. Jason Hodges (D-Clarksville) is being challenged by Republican John Dawson, a retired Army helicopter mechanic.
District 37 in Rutherford County: Freshman Rep. Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro), an economics professor at Middle Tennessee Tennessee State University, faces Democrat Mariah Phillips, a Murfreesboro teacher and longtime Starbucks employee.
District 82 in Crockett, Haywood, and Lauderdale counties: Freshman Republican Rep. Chris Hurt, a former Halls High School football coach, is being challenged by Democrat Andrea Bond Johnson, a Brownsville insurance agency CE.
District 13 in Knox County: Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville faces Republican challenger Elaine Davis, who has received financial backing from Republicans despite seemingly long odds.
District 96 in Shelby County. Democratic Rep. Dwayne Thompson of Cordova faces Republican de-annexation advocate Patti Possel.
District 63 in Williamson County: Former House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) faces a challenge by Democrat Elizabeth Madeira and independent Brad Fiscus.
Hargett says it will be ‘surprise’ if full results available by end of Election Day
Secretary of State Tre Hargett says it will be a surprise if full results are available by the end of Election Day, according to reporter Hank Hayes of the Kingsport Times-News.
“We’re going to see a spike in absentee ballots. I don’t know how heavy that will be,” Hargett said. “I hope I’m pleasantly surprised like I was in August, when 95 counties had their election results done by midnight.”
The Secretary of State’s office has taken to the courts to try to fend off efforts to expand access to absentee voting during the pandemic.
Early voting starts on Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 29. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27. Mail-in ballots must be received via the Postal Service by Election Day in order to be counted.
Hayes pressed Hargett on his plans after the election.
“We’re trying to run an election 50 days from now,” Hargett said. “I am going to ask the legislature to re-elect me for another four-year term in January. I’ve got a lot of work to do. We still see a lot of areas where we think we can do better in. That’s what I’m focused on.”
A joint convention of the General Assembly will vote on the next four-year term for the Secretary of State in January. Hargett, a former state lawmaker, was first elected to the job in 2009. He got into some hot water in 2014 after a staffer reserved a website for a potential gubernatorial bid.
Hargett acknowledged to WTVF-TV at the time it might not have looked good, but said the site had been reserved to protect him from someone else grabbing it. He later announced he wouldn’t run for governor.
