Notable Tennessee races, 2016

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Notable Tennessee Races
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PrimaryAugust 4, 2016
GeneralNovember 8, 2016
2016 Notable Races
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Ballotpedia identified three notable Tennessee state legislative races in 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Republicans kept a state government trifecta, controlling the Senate, the House, and the governorship.
  • Two races featured rematches of 2014 contests.
  • Three Republican candidates competed to challenge a Democratic incumbent.
  • Overview

    Main articles: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2016, and Tennessee State Senate elections, 2016

    All 99 state House seats and 16 of the 33 state Senate seats were up for election in 2016.

    Partisan breakdown of the Tennessee Legislature
    Party Republicans Democrats
    Tennessee House 73 seats 26 seats
    Tennessee Senate 28 seats 5 seats

    Republicans had held a state government trifecta since 2011, meaning they controlled the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. They remained in total control of the state government following the November election. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) was not up for election in 2016, and Democrats would have had to gain 24 seats to win a majority in the House and 12 seats to win a majority in the Senate.

    Two legislative races featured rematches from 2014 contests: a general election rematch in House District 13 and a Republican primary rerun in House District 18.[1][2][3] A Democratic incumbent faced a crowded field of Republican challengers in House District 43.[1]

    What makes a race notable?

    Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:

    • Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
    • Rematches between candidates
    • Races that receive considerable media attention
    • Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
    • Competitive races involving party leaders
    • Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
    • Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements

    Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!

    Notable primary elections

    House District 18 - Republican primary

    A Republican candidate challenged the Republican incumbent to a rematch.

    Rep. Martin Daniel (R) again defeated the lawmaker he beat in 2014 in the 2016 Republican primary.[1][3] Daniel beat former Rep. Steve Hall (R) by 165 votes to claim the 2014 GOP nomination in District 18.[3] Two other Republicans—James Corcoran and Bryan Dodson—also competed for the GOP nomination in 2016.[1] Rep. Daniel faced Brandi Price in the November election.[1] Price ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.[1]

    Incumbent Martin Daniel defeated Brandi Price in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 18 general election.[4][5]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 18 General Election, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Martin Daniel Incumbent 59.18% 15,572
         Democratic Brandi Price 40.82% 10,742
    Total Votes 26,314
    Source: Tennessee Secretary of State


    Brandi Price ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 18 Democratic primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 18 Democratic Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Brandi Price  (unopposed)


    Incumbent Martin Daniel defeated Steve Hall, James Corcoran and Bryan Dodson in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 18 Republican primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 18 Republican Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Martin Daniel Incumbent 38.82% 1,315
         Republican Steve Hall 28.46% 964
         Republican James Corcoran 25.27% 856
         Republican Bryan Dodson 7.44% 252
    Total Votes 3,387

    House District 43 - Republican primary

    Three Republican candidates competed to challenge the Democratic incumbent in a closely divided district.

    Rep. Kevin Dunlap (D), who won his House District 43 seat by 54 votes in 2014, faced a crowded GOP field in 2016.[1][2] Three Republican candidates—Sam Elder, Bob Robinson, and Paul Sherrell—competed to challenge Dunlap in November.[1]

    Paul Sherrell defeated incumbent Kevin Dunlap in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 43 general election.[4][5]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 43 General Election, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Paul Sherrell 53.38% 11,692
         Democratic Kevin Dunlap Incumbent 46.62% 10,213
    Total Votes 21,905
    Source: Tennessee Secretary of State


    Incumbent Kevin Dunlap ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 43 Democratic primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 43 Democratic Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Kevin Dunlap Incumbent (unopposed)


    Paul Sherrell defeated Bob Robinson and Sam Elder in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 43 Republican primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 43 Republican Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Paul Sherrell 45.16% 1,875
         Republican Bob Robinson 43.64% 1,812
         Republican Sam Elder 11.20% 465
    Total Votes 4,152

    Notable general elections

    House District 13 - General election

    A Democratic candidate challenged the Republican incumbent to a rematch.

    Rep. Eddie Smith (R) defeated former Rep. Gloria Johnson (D) by 182 votes to claim the House District 13 seat in 2014.[2] Johnson challenged Smith to a rematch in 2016.[1] Smith and Johnson both ran unopposed in their respective primaries.[1]

    Incumbent Eddie Smith defeated Gloria Johnson in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 13 general election.[4][5]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 13 General Election, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Eddie Smith Incumbent 50.34% 11,162
         Democratic Gloria Johnson 49.66% 11,011
    Total Votes 22,173
    Source: Tennessee Secretary of State


    Gloria Johnson ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 13 Democratic primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 13 Democratic Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Gloria Johnson  (unopposed)


    Incumbent Eddie Smith ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 13 Republican primary.[6][7]

    Tennessee House of Representatives, District 13 Republican Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Republican Green check mark transparent.png Eddie Smith Incumbent (unopposed)

    Freshman legislators

    The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.

    1. Dwayne Thompson (Tennessee) (Democratic), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 96
    2. John Crawford (Tennessee) (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 1
    3. Jon Lundberg (Republican), .Tennessee State Senate, District 4
    4. Mark Lovell (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 95
    5. Michael Curcio (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 69
    6. Paul Sherrell (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 43
    7. Rick Staples (Democratic), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 15
    8. Ron M. Gant (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 94
    9. Sam Whitson (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 65
    10. Thomas R. Tillis (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 92
    11. Tim Rudd (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 34

    Defeated incumbents

    The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.

    1. Kevin Dunlap (Democratic), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 43
    2. Stephen McManus (Republican), .Tennessee House of Representatives, District 96

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes