Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2016

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2016 Tennessee
House Elections
Flag of Tennessee.png
PrimaryAugust 4, 2016
GeneralNovember 8, 2016
2016 Election Results
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2016 Elections
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All 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Republicans gained one seat in the chamber after the November 2016 election.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Republicans fielded unopposed candidates in 31 districts, while Democrats had 17 unchallenged candidates.
  • There were six open seats—four Republican and two Democratic—in 2016. Four of those seats had general election competition.
  • If Democrats were to make any gains, it would have been in the 51 districts that had general election competition between two major party candidates; only six seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.[1]
  • Republicans held a state government trifecta heading into the election.
  • Introduction

    Elections for the Tennessee House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 4, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 7, 2016.

    Majority control

    See also: Partisan composition of state houses

    Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives:

    Tennessee House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 25 25
         Republican Party 72 74
         Vacancy 2 0
    Total 99 99

    Retired incumbents

    Five incumbent representatives did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

    Name Party Current Office
    Jon Lundberg Ends.png Republican House District 1
    Richard B. Womick Ends.png Republican House District 34
    David Shepard Electiondot.png Democratic House District 69
    Billy Spivey Ends.png Republican House District 92
    Jamie Jenkins Ends.png Republican House District 94

    Note: Incumbent Joe Armstrong (D-15) was removed from the general election ballot after his conviction on August 8, 2016, of filing a false tax return. He was replaced on the ballot by Rick Staples. Armstrong resigned from the state House on September 12, 2016.

    Note: Incumbent Jeremy Durham (R-65) was expelled from the legislature on September 13, 2016. He was defeated in the Republican primary.

    Races we watched

    Ballotpedia identified three notable Tennessee state legislative races in 2016, all three of which were state House contests.

    Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Tennessee races »

    Primary contests

    State House District 18 (R)

    A Republican candidate challenged the Republican incumbent to a rematch.
    Martin Daniel (Inc.)       James Corcoran       Bryan Dodson       Steve Hall

    State House District 43 (R)

    Three Republican candidates competed to challenge the Democratic incumbent in a closely divided district.
    Paul Sherrell       Sam Elder       Bob Robinson

    General election contests

    State House District 13

    A Democratic candidate challenged the Republican incumbent to a rematch.
    Eddie Smith (Inc.)       Gloria Johnson

    List of candidates

    General election

    2016 Tennessee House general election candidates
    District Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 No candidate John Crawford Approveda
    2 J. S. Moore: 4,940 Bud Hulsey: 20,334 (I) Approveda
    3 No candidate Timothy Hill: 19,316 (I) Approveda Gary Kawula: 3,129 (Ind.)
    4 No candidate John Holsclaw Jr. (I) Approveda
    5 No candidate David Hawk (I) Approveda
    6 John Baker: 6,807 James Van Huss: 18,213 (I) Approveda
    7 Nancy Fischman: 6,840 Matthew Hill: 14,385 (I) Approveda
    8 No candidate Art Swann (I) Approveda
    9 No candidate Gary Hicks: 15,536 (I) Approveda John Neubert: 4,516 (Ind.)
    10 No candidate Tilman Goins (I) Approveda
    11 Marjorie Ramsey: 4,374 Jeremy Faison: 15,318 (I) Approveda
    12 No candidate Dale Carr (I) Approveda
    13 Gloria Johnson: 11,011 Eddie Smith: 11,162 (I) Approveda
    14 Scott Hacker: 9,235 Jason Zachary: 24,849 (I) Approveda
    15 Rick Staples: 9,242 Approveda No candidate Pete Drew: 4,968 (Ind.)
    16 No candidate Bill Dunn (I) Approveda
    17 No candidate Andrew Farmer (I) Approveda
    18 Brandi Price: 10,742 Martin Daniel: 15,572 (I) Approveda
    19 No candidate Harry Brooks (I) Approveda
    20 No candidate Robert Ramsey: 19,106 (I) Approveda Sam Duck: 4,669 (Ind.)
    21 Pamela Weston: 5,447 Jimmy Matlock: 21,087 (I) Approveda William Vandever: 916 (Ind.)
    22 Anna Miller Grabowski: 4,486 Dan Howell: 20,064 (I) Approveda
    23 No candidate John W. Forgety: 19,998 (I) Approveda Daniel Housley: 3,337 (Ind.)
    24 No candidate Kevin Brooks (I) Approveda
    25 Judy Barnett: 6,077 Cameron Sexton: 22,335 (I) Approveda
    26 No candidate Gerald McCormick (I) Approveda
    27 Steve Gordon: 8,142 Patsy Hazlewood: 20,995 (I) Approveda
    28 Joanne Favors (I) Approveda No candidate
    29 No candidate Mike Carter (I) Approveda
    30 Katie R. Cowley: 8,622 Marc Gravitt: 17,044 (I) Approveda Patrick Hickey: 916 (Ind.)
    31 No candidate Ron Travis (I) Approveda
    32 Corey B. Stafford: 3,409 Kent Calfee: 15,627 (I) Approveda Tyler Overstreet: 5,836 (Ind.)
    33 Michael S. McKamey: 8,057 John Ragan: 15,743 (I) Approveda
    34 Laura Bohling: 9,939 Tim Rudd: 19,962 Approveda
    35 No candidate Jerry Sexton (I) Approveda
    36 Bob Fannon: 5,297 Dennis Powers: 13,944 (I) Approveda
    37 Becky Goff: 9,640 Dawn White: 14,744 (I) Approveda
    38 F. Mike Campbell: 3,841 Kelly Keisling: 16,988 (I) Approveda
    39 Nancy Silvertooth: 7,522 David Alexander: 15,920 (I) Approveda
    40 Gayla Colvert Hendrix: 7,450 Terri Lynn Weaver: 20,364 (I) Approveda
    41 John Windle: 12,238 (I) Approveda Ed Butler: 10,021
    42 Amos Powers: 5,986 Ryan Williams: 17,486 (I) Approveda
    43 Kevin Dunlap: 10,213 (I) Paul Sherrell: 11,692 Approveda
    44 Lloyd Dunn: 5,642 William G. Lamberth: 18,009 (I) Approveda
    45 No candidate Courtney Rogers (I) Approveda
    46 Amelia Morrison Hipps: 6,589 Mark Pody: 19,785 (I) Approveda
    47 No candidate Judd Matheny (I) Approveda
    48 Justin Miller: 8,726 Bryan Terry: 16,381 (I) Approveda
    49 Brandon Thomas: 8,604 Mike Sparks: 13,531 (I) Approveda
    50 Bo Mitchell: 15,188 (I) Approveda Nathan Massey: 13,861
    51 Bill Beck (I) Approveda No candidate
    52 Mike Stewart (I) Approveda No candidate
    53 Jason Powell: 12,457 (I) Approveda Davette Blalock: 9,208
    54 Brenda Gilmore: 19,782 (I) Approveda No candidate Robert Sawyers, Sr.: 3,251 (Ind.)
    55 John Ray Clemmons (I) Approveda No candidate
    56 Chris Moth: 15,224 Beth Harwell: 21,069 (I) Approveda
    57 Trisha Farmer: 10,870 Susan Lynn: 24,444 (I) Approveda
    58 Harold M. Love (I) Approveda No candidate
    59 Sherry Jones (I) Approveda No candidate
    60 Darren Jernigan: 15,103 (I) Approveda Steve Glover: 11,799
    61 No candidate Charles Sargent, Jr. (I) Approveda
    62 Sharon Kay Edwards: 4,824 Pat Marsh: 15,954 (I) Approveda
    63 Courtenay Rogers: 11,125 Glen Casada: 28,390 (I) Approveda
    64 No candidate Sheila Butt: 19,984 (I) Approveda James Gray: 7,516 (Ind.)
    65 Holly McCall: 8,947 Sam Whitson: 21,649 Approveda
    66 Larry Proffitt: 6,589 Sabi Kumar: 18,432 (I) Approveda
    67 Joe Pitts: 10,564 (I) Approveda No candidate Mike Warner: 6,562 (Ind.)
    68 No candidate Curtis Johnson (I) Approveda
    69 Dustin Evans: 7,391 Michael Curcio: 14,144 Approveda
    70 Calvin Moore: 5,645 Barry Doss: 15,365 (I) Approveda Roy Waldrop: 2,000 (Ind.)
    71 No candidate David Byrd (I) Approveda
    72 No candidate Steve McDaniel (I) Approveda
    73 No candidate Jimmy Eldridge (I) Approveda
    74 Andy Porch: 8,021 Jay Reedy: 11,260 (I) Approveda
    75 Daniel Powell: 5,771 Tim Wirgau: 14,816 (I) Approveda James Hart: 1,917 (Ind.)
    76 Angela Callis: 4,327 Andrew H. Holt: 13,038 (I) Approveda Bennie Castleman: 3,215 (Ind.)
    77 No candidate Bill Sanderson: 16,326 (I) Approveda Tom Reasons: 3,809 (Ind.)
    78 Travis S. Staten: 6,539 Mary Littleton: 18,679 (I) Approveda
    79 No candidate Curtis Halford (I) Approveda
    80 Johnny Shaw (I) Approveda No candidate
    81 Deborah K. Reed: 4,842 Debra Moody: 15,535 (I) Approveda
    82 Craig Fitzhugh: 10,443 (I) Approveda Andy Cole: 8,220
    83 Lawrence Pivnick: 9,506 Mark White: 16,900 (I) Approveda
    84 Joe Towns, Jr. (I) Approveda No candidate
    85 Johnnie Turner (I) Approveda No candidate
    86 Barbara Cooper: 14,945 (I) Approveda George T. Edwards: 5,442
    87 Karen Camper (I) Approveda No candidate
    88 Larry Miller: 14,918 (I) Approveda No candidate Orrden Williams, Jr.: 2,834 (Ind.)
    89 Heather C. Hensley: 8,305 Roger Kane: 19,735 (I) Approveda
    90 John DeBerry, Jr. (I) Approveda No candidate
    91 Raumesh Akbari: 14,580 (I) Approveda Samuel Watkins: 3,125
    92 Tamra King: 5,693 Thomas R. Tillis: 16,475 Approveda
    93 G.A. Hardaway: 13,832 (I) Approveda No candidate William King: 2,666 (Ind.)
    94 Daniel Harris: 6,088 Ron M. Gant: 20,006 Approveda
    95 No candidate Mark Lovell Approveda
    96 Dwayne Thompson: 14,150 Approveda Stephen McManus: 13,785 (I)
    97 No candidate Jim Coley (I) Approveda
    98 Antonio Parkinson (I) Approveda No candidate
    99 No candidate Ron Lollar (I) Approveda
     
    Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    Primary election

    2016 Tennessee House primary candidates
    District Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 No candidate John Crawford: 1,976 Approveda
    Chad Keen: 1,929
    2 J. S. Moore Approveda Bud Hulsey (I) Approveda
    3 No candidate Timothy Hill (I) Approveda Gary Kawula (Ind.) Approveda
    4 No candidate John Holsclaw Jr.: 2,947 (I) Approveda
    Tim Lingerfelt: 1,483
    5 No candidate David Hawk (I) Approveda
    6 John Baker: 349 Approveda
    Murphey Johnson: 225
    Micah Van Huss (I) Approveda
    7 Nancy Fischman: 795 Approveda
    Michael Jay Morgan: 82
    Matthew Hill (I) Approveda
    8 No candidate Art Swann (I) Approveda
    9 No candidate Gary Hicks: 3,315 (I) Approveda
    Cynthia Bundren Jackson: 2,852
    John Neubert (Ind.) Approveda
    10 No candidate Tilman Goins (I) Approveda
    11 Roland Dykes, III: 199
    Marjorie Ramsey: 264 Approveda
    Jeremy Faison: 3,308 (I) Approveda
    Michael A. McCarter: 1,279
    12 No candidate Dale Carr (I) Approveda
    13 Gloria Johnson Approveda Eddie Smith (I) Approveda
    14 Scott Hacker Approveda Jason Zachary (I) Approveda
    15 Joe Armstrong (I) Approveda No candidate Pete Drew (Ind.) Approveda
    16 No candidate Bill Dunn (I) Approveda
    17 No candidate Andrew Farmer (I) Approveda
    18 Brandi Price Approveda James Corcoran: 856
    Martin Daniel: 1,315 (I) Approveda
    Bryan Dodson: 252
    Steve Hall: 964
    19 No candidate Harry Brooks (I) Approveda
    20 No candidate Robert Ramsey (I) Approveda Sam Duck (Ind.) Approveda
    21 Pamela Weston Approveda Jimmy Matlock (I) Approveda William Vandever (Ind.) Approveda
    22 Anna Miller Grabowski Approveda Dan Howell (I) Approveda
    23 No candidate John W. Forgety (I) Approveda Daniel Housley (Ind.) Approveda
    24 No candidate Kevin Brooks (I) Approveda
    25 Judy Barnett Approveda Cameron Sexton (I) Approveda
    26 No candidate Gerald McCormick (I) Approveda
    27 Steve Gordon Approveda Patsy Hazlewood (I) Approveda
    28 Dennis Clark: 859
    Joanne Favors: 3,948 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    29 No candidate Mike Carter: 3,628 (I) Approveda
    Ethan White: 667
    30 Katie R. Cowley Approveda Marc Gravitt (I) Approveda Patrick Hickey (Ind.) Approveda
    31 No candidate June Griffin: 661
    Ron Travis: 3,899 (I) Approveda
    32 Corey B. Stafford Approveda Kent Calfee (I) Approveda Tyler Overstreet (Ind.) Approveda
    33 Michael S. McKamey Approveda John Ragan (I) Approveda
    34 Laura Bohling Approveda Joshua James: 205
    Tim Rudd: 1,971 Approveda
    Christy Sigler: 825
    Jimmy Turner: 1,372
    35 No candidate James Acuff: 2,276
    Jerry Sexton: 3,365 (I) Approveda
    36 Bob Fannon Approveda Dennis Powers (I) Approveda
    37 Becky Goff Approveda Dawn White (I) Approveda
    38 F. Mike Campbell Approveda Kelly Keisling: 4,743 (I) Approveda
    Joey A. Zachary: 2,433
    39 Tony Peoples: 206
    Nancy Silvertooth: 1,335 Approveda
    Kathleen Swift-Lawson: 210
    David Alexander: 3,912 (I) Approveda
    Clyde Benson: 594
    40 Teresa Marion: 423
    Gayla Colvert Hendrix: 1,093 Approveda
    Terri Lynn Weaver (I) Approveda
    41 John Windle (I) Approveda Ed Butler Approveda
    42 Amos Powers Approveda Ryan Williams (I) Approveda
    43 Kevin Dunlap (I) Approveda Sam Elder: 465
    Bob Robinson: 1,812
    Paul Sherrell: 1,875 Approveda
    44 Lloyd Dunn Approveda William G. Lamberth (I) Approveda
    45 No candidate Beth Cox: 2,348
    Courtney Rogers: 2,934 (I) Approveda
    46 Amelia Morrison Hipps Approveda Mark Pody (I) Approveda
    47 No candidate Will Lockhart: 1,641
    Steve R. Lynn: 523
    Judd Matheny: 2,889 (I) Approveda
    48 Justin Miller Approveda Bryan Terry (I) Approveda
    49 Brandon Thomas Approveda Aaron Holladay: 530
    Mike Sparks: 1,880 (I) Approveda
    50 Bo Mitchell (I) Approveda Bill Bernstein: 797
    Nathan Massey: 2,095 Approveda
    51 Bill Beck (I) Approveda No candidate
    52 Mike Stewart (I) Approveda No candidate
    53 Jason Powell (I) Approveda Davette Blalock: 556 Approveda
    Amberlee' Brooks: 347
    Michelle Norris: 205
    54 Brenda Gilmore (I) Approveda No candidate Robert Sawyers, Sr. (Ind.) Approveda
    55 John Ray Clemmons (I) Approveda No candidate
    56 Chris Moth: 1,838 Approveda
    Sydney Rogers: 1,752
    Beth Harwell (I) Approveda
    57 Trisha Farmer Approveda Susan Lynn (I) Approveda
    58 Jeff Davidson: 262
    Harold M. Love: 2,834 (I) Approveda
    Ellen Leonard-Pugh: 324
    No candidate
    59 Sherry Jones (I) Approveda No candidate
    60 Darren Jernigan (I) Approveda Steve Glover: 1,316 Approveda
    Donald Ray McFolin: 345
    61 No candidate Steve Gawrys: 1,737
    Charles Sargent, Jr.: 3,636 (I) Approveda
    Terrence A. Smith: 173
    62 Sharon Kay Edwards Approveda Pat Marsh (I) Approveda
    63 Courtenay Rogers Approveda Glen Casada (I) Approveda
    64 No candidate Sheila Butt (I) Approveda James Gray (Ind.) Approveda
    65 Holly McCall Approveda Jeremy Durham: 645 (I)
    Stacey L. Givens: 303
    Sam Whitson: 3,682 Approveda
    66 Larry Proffitt Approveda Sabi Kumar (I) Approveda
    67 Joe Pitts (I) Approveda No candidate Mike Warner (Ind.) Approveda
    68 No candidate Curtis Johnson (I) Approveda
    69 Dustin Evans: 711 Approveda
    Timothy Tucker Hobbs: 662
    Raymond E. Bauhs: 273
    Michael Curcio: 1,700 Approveda
    Wayne White: 617
    70 Calvin Moore Approveda Barry Doss (I) Approveda Roy Waldrop (Ind.) Approveda
    71 No candidate David Byrd (I) Approveda
    72 No candidate Steve McDaniel (I) Approveda
    73 No candidate Jimmy Eldridge: 4,035 (I) Approveda
    Glen Gaugh: 2,547
    74 Andy Porch Approveda Barry Cotton: 643
    Jay Reedy: 2,118 (I) Approveda
    75 Daniel Powell Approveda James F. Poe: 2,449
    Tim Wirgau: 3,606 (I) Approveda
    James Hart (Ind.) Approveda
    76 Angela Callis Approveda Andrew H. Holt (I) Approveda Bennie Castleman (Ind.) Approveda
    77 No candidate Bill Sanderson (I) Approveda Tom Reasons (Ind.) Approveda
    78 Travis S. Staten Approveda Mary Littleton (I) Approveda
    79 No candidate Curtis Halford: 3,002 (I) Approveda
    Daniel Williams: 1,711
    80 Ernest Brooks II: 1,126
    Johnny Shaw: 2,845 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    81 Deborah K. Reed Approveda Debra Moody (I) Approveda
    82 Craig Fitzhugh (I) Approveda Andy Cole: 1,927 Approveda
    Larry T. Dotson: 849
    83 Lawrence Pivnick Approveda Mark White (I) Approveda
    84 Joe Towns, Jr. (I) Approveda No candidate
    85 Felicia Irons: 546
    Johnnie Turner: 3,383 (I) Approveda
    Keith Williams: 1,260
    No candidate
    86 Barbara Cooper (I) Approveda George T. Edwards: 510 Approveda
    Tina McElravey: 408
    87 Karen Camper (I) Approveda No candidate
    88 Stephen Christian: 697
    Larry Miller: 2,796 (I) Approveda
    No candidate Orrden Williams, Jr. (Ind.) Approveda
    89 Heather C. Hensley Approveda Roger Kane (I) Approveda
    90 John DeBerry, Jr.: 2,729 (I) Approveda
    Tami Sawyer: 2,090
    No candidate
    91 Raumesh Akbari (I) Approveda Samuel Watkins Approveda
    92 Tamra King Approveda Thomas R. Tillis: 2,344 Approveda
    Michael Waggoner: 2,304
    93 G.A. Hardaway (I) Approveda No candidate William King (Ind.) Approveda
    94 Daniel Harris: 965 Approveda
    Civil Miller-Watkins: 822
    Rusty N. Coffman: 1,789
    Thomas Cooper: 719
    Ron M. Gant: 5,381 Approveda
    95 No candidate Diane George: 1,149
    Mark Lovell: 4,438 Approveda
    Dana Matheny: 833
    Curry Todd: 1,493 (I)
    96 Earl LeFlore: 984
    Dwayne Thompson: 1,481 Approveda
    Price Harris: 878
    Stephen McManus: 2,718 (I) Approveda
    97 No candidate Jim Coley (I) Approveda
    98 Johnnie Hatten: 926
    Antonio Parkinson: 2,679 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    99 No candidate Ron Lollar (I) Approveda
     
    Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
    • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

    Margins of victory

    The average margin of victory for contested races in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2016 was higher than the national average. Out of 99 races in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2016, 62 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 40.7 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[2]

    Republican candidates in the Tennessee House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 74 races. In the 49 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 42.8 percent. Democrats won 25 races in 2016. In the 13 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 32.9 percent.
    More Democratic candidates than Republican candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Five of the 62 contested races in 2016—8.1 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Three races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Democrats won three races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.
    The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Tennessee House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was higher than the national average. 89 incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 54 winning Tennessee House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 42.1 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.
    Republican incumbents in the Tennessee House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic incumbents. 66 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 43 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 43.7 percent. 23 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the 11 races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 36 percent.
    Tennessee House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis
    Party Elections won Average margin of victory[3] Races with incumbent victories Average margin of victory for incumbents[3] Unopposed incumbents Unopposed races Percent unopposed
    Democratic 25 32.9 percent 23 36.0 percent 12 12 48.0 percent
    Republican 74 42.8 percent 66 43.7 percent 23 25 33.8 percent
    Total 99 40.7 percent 89 42.1 percent 35 37 37.4 percent

    Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Tennessee House of Representatives districts in 2016.

    Important dates and deadlines

    See also: Tennessee elections, 2016

    The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Tennessee in 2016.

    Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
    Deadline Event type Event description
    December 1, 2015 Ballot access Filing deadline for presidential primary candidates
    February 23, 2016 Campaign finance Pre-primary campaign financial disclosure reports for March county primary due
    March 1, 2016 Election date Presidential preference primary election
    April 7, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for partisan primary candidates and independent general election candidates
    April 11, 2016 Campaign finance First quarter campaign financial disclosure reports due
    April 26, 2016 Campaign finance Pre-primary campaign financial disclosure reports for May primary due
    May 3, 2016 Election date County primary election (if applicable)
    July 11, 2016 Campaign finance Second quarter campaign financial disclosure reports due
    July 28, 2016 Campaign finance Pre-primary campaign financial disclosure reports for August primary due
    July 28, 2016 Campaign finance Pre-general campaign financial disclosure reports for August general due
    August 4, 2016 Election date State primary and county general election (if applicable)
    October 11, 2016 Campaign finance Third quarter campaign financial disclosure reports due
    November 1, 2016 Campaign finance Pre-general campaign financial disclosure reports for November general due
    November 8, 2016 Election date General election
    January 25, 2017 Campaign finance Fourth quarter campaign financial disclosure reports due
    Source: Tennessee Secretary of State, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed June 12, 2015

    Competitiveness

    Candidates unopposed by a major party

    In 48 (48.4%) of the 99 seats that were up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 17 Democrats and 31 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

    Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 51 (51.5%) of the 99 seats up for election.

    Primary challenges

    Twenty-seven incumbents faced primary competition on August 4. Five incumbent did not seek re-election and another 67 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The following incumbents were defeated in the primary election:

    Retired incumbents

    Six incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 93 ran for re-election. Joe Armstrong (D-15) initially ran for re-election, but was removed from the ballot after his tax fraud conviction. A list of those incumbents, four Republicans and two Democrats, can be found above.

    Results from 2014

    See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

    There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

    Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

    Overall Comparison between years
    2010 2012 2014
    Competitiveness Index 36.2 35.8 31.4
    % Open Seats 18.6% 21.2% 17.0%
    % Inc that did face primary 22.7% 24.6% 20.1%
    % Candidates that did face major party opp 67.3% 61.7% 57.0%

    The following table details Tennessee's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

    Tennessee General Assembly 2014 Competitiveness
    % Open Seats % Inc that did face primary % Candidates that did face major party opp Competitiveness Index Overall rank
    10.3% 25.0% 38.5% 24.6 33

    Historical context

    See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

    Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

    F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

    Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

    Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

    Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

    Campaign contributions

    The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Tennessee in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[4]

    Tennessee House of Representatives Donations
    Year Candidates Amount
    2014 190 $11,155,869
    2012 237 $12,125,464
    2010 219 $9,677,792
    2008 196 $8,420,841
    2006 223 $8,380,307

    State comparison

    The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Tennessee, at $58,715 per candidate, is ranked 16 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[4][5]

    Qualifications

    To be eligible to serve in the Tennessee House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[6]

    • A U.S. citizen
    • 21 years old before the general election
    • A three-year resident of Tennessee before the general election
    • A county resident for 1 year prior to the general election
    • A qualified voter
    • The following situations would eliminate a candidate from qualifying for office:
      • Those who have been convicted of offering or giving a bribe, or of larceny, or any other offense declared infamous by law, unless restored to citizenship in the mode pointed out by law;
      • Those against whom there is a judgment unpaid for any moneys received by them, in any official capacity, due to the United States, to this state, or any county thereof;
      • Those who are defaulters to the treasury at the time of the election, and the election of any such person shall be void;
      • Soldiers, seamen, marines, or airmen in the regular army or navy or air force of the United States; and
      • Members of congress, and persons holding any office of profit or trust under any foreign power, other state of the union, or under the United States.

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
    2. This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
    3. 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
    4. 4.0 4.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Tennessee," accessed July 28, 2015
    5. This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
    6. Qualifications for running for Tennessee House of Representatives


    Current members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Cameron Sexton
    Majority Leader:William Lamberth
    Minority Leader:Karen Camper
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    Tim Hicks (R)
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    Tim Rudd (R)
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    District 41
    Ed Butler (R)
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    District 46
    District 47
    District 48
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    District 52
    District 53
    District 54
    District 55
    District 56
    District 57
    District 58
    District 59
    District 60
    District 61
    District 62
    Pat Marsh (R)
    District 63
    District 64
    District 65
    District 66
    District 67
    District 68
    District 69
    District 70
    District 71
    District 72
    District 73
    District 74
    Jay Reedy (R)
    District 75
    District 76
    District 77
    District 78
    District 79
    District 80
    District 81
    District 82
    District 83
    District 84
    Joe Towns (D)
    District 85
    District 86
    District 87
    District 88
    District 89
    District 90
    District 91
    District 92
    District 93
    District 94
    Ron Gant (R)
    District 95
    District 96
    District 97
    District 98
    District 99
    Republican Party (75)
    Democratic Party (24)