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Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Tennessee Congressional Seats

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October 30, 2012

By Ballotpedia's Congressional team

Tennessee's Congressional Elections in 2012
U.S. Senate Election? U.S. House seats Possible competitive races?
Yes 9 6

NASHVILLE: Tennessee: Tennessee has nine U.S. House seats up for election as well as one U.S. Senate seat in 2012. All 10 incumbents for the U.S. House and Senate are seeking re-election. Of the nine U.S. House seats, all have at least two candidates on the ballot, the 7th Congressional District has the most candidates with a total of seven. The 5th and 9th are the only districts held by Democrats, with Republicans holding the remaining seven seats. Only the 6th district has no Democratic candidate. Tennessee, along with two other states, was considered the 19th most competitive congressional primaries in 2012, with 55.56% of major party primaries having been contested (10 out of 18).

In Tennessee, the polls open at 7 AM and all locations close at 7 PM local time.[1]

See also: State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2012)

U.S. Senate

Incumbent Bob Corker is running for re-election and was first elected to the office in 2006. Corker faced four opponents in the primary, Democratic candidate Mark Clayton beat out seven other candidates to get the nomination. In addition to Clayton, seven other minor-party candidates are seeking the open Senate seat. Clayton has been openly criticized by the Democratic Party. He was the surprise nominee emerging from the election and is not expected to pose any threat to Corker's re-election bid.

State General Election Candidates Incumbent 2012 Winner Partisan Switch?
Tennessee Class 1 Senate seat Democratic Party Mark Clayton
Republican Party Bob Corker
Libertarian Party Shaun Crowell
Green Party Martin Pleasant
Grey.png David Gatchell
Grey.png James Higdon
Grey.pngMichel Long
Grey.pngTroy Scoggin
Grey.pngKermit Steck		 Bob Corker Pending Pending

U.S. House

None of the nine seats are expected to be competitive on election day. The only district with a less than 10 percentage point estimate difference according to Fairvote and Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index is the 5th District. Incumbent Jim Cooper (D) faces Brad Staats (R), with Cooper expected to win re-election despite being in a Republican-friendly district. Additionally, incumbent Scott DesJarlais (R) has come under scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the election, surrounding his ethics as a doctor and alleged affairs with patients.[2] However, DesJarlais is in a strong Republican district, one which John McCain won by 27 points in 2008.

Here is a complete list of U.S. House candidates appearing on the general election ballot in Tennessee:

Candidates running by District

District General Election Candidates Incumbent 2012 Winner Partisan Switch?
1st Democratic Party Alan Woodruff
Republican Party Phil Roe
Grey.pngKaren Brackett
Grey.pngMichael Salyer
Green PartyRobert N Smith		 Phil Roe Pending Pending
2nd Democratic Party Troy Goodale
Republican Party John J. Duncan, Jr.
Libertarian Party Greg Samples
Grey.pngBrandon Stewart
Green PartyNorris Dryer		 John J. Duncan, Jr. Pending Pending
3rd Democratic Party Mary Headrick
Republican Party Charles J. Fleischmann
Grey.pngMatthew Deniston		 Charles J. Fleischmann Pending Pending
4th Democratic Party Eric Stewart
Republican Party Scott DesJarlais		 Scott DesJarlais Pending Pending
5th Democratic PartyJim Cooper
Republican PartyBrad Staats
Green PartyJohn Miglietta		 Jim Cooper Pending Pending
6th Republican Party Diane Black
Grey.png Scott Beasley
Green PartyPat Riley		 Diane Black Pending Pending
7th Democratic Party Credo Amouzouvik
Republican PartyMarsha Blackburn
Grey.pngWilliam Akin
Grey.pngJack Arnold
Grey.pngLenny Ladner
Green PartyHoward Switzer		 Marsha Blackburn Pending Pending
8th Democratic Party Timothy Dixon
Republican Party Stephen Lee Fincher
Grey.png James Hart
Grey.pngMark Rawles		 Stephen Lee Fincher Pending Pending
9th Democratic Party Steve Cohen
Republican Party George Flinn Jr.
Grey.pngGregory Joiner
Grey.pngBrian Saulsberry		 Steve Cohen Pending Pending'

Partisan breakdown by district

Members of the U.S. House from Tennessee -- Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 2012 After the 2012 Election
     Democratic Party 2 2
     Republican Party 7 7
Total 9 9

Comparison of new and old redistricting maps

 Congressional Redistricting Map 

For more information, view Redistricting in Tennessee.

  • This is the approved congressional map using the 2010 Census.

    This is the approved congressional map using the 2010 Census.

  • This is the approved congressional map using the 2000 Census.

    This is the approved congressional map using the 2000 Census.

Articles

See also

Tennessee

Footnotes

  1. ↑ League of Women Voters, "Tennessee Voting Information Page"
  2. ↑ Nashville Tennessean, "Scott DesJarlais hit by Democrats over second affair," October 30, 2012
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