Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Tennessee State Legislature
October 30, 2012
By Ballotpedia's State legislative team
| Tennessee's State Legislative Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate seats | Contested senate seats | House seats | Contested house seats |
| 16 | 9 (56.3%) | 99 | 49 (49.5%) |
NASHVILLE, Tennessee: There are 115 total legislative seats with 2012 elections in Tennessee, where most polling places are open between 7am and 7pm. All precincts close 8:00pm eastern standard time and 7:00pm central standard time. The polls must be open a minimum of 10 hours and may be open for a maximum of 13 hours. Tennessee is split between Eastern and Central time zones.
Republicans currently hold a 20-13 majority in the Senate. Out of a total of four retirements, three are Democrats and one is a Republican. Of the 99 seats in the House, Republicans hold 64, Democrats hold 34, and one is vacant. Seven Democrats are retiring, as are four Republicans.
Of the 115 incumbents up for election in 2012, 98 (85.2%) of them are running for re-election. A total of 58 of 115 (50.4%) districts will see more than one major party candidate in the general election.
Here are a few races to watch:
Senate
- District 10 is an open seat due to the retirement of Andy Berke (D). Andrae McGary (D) will try to keep the seat for Democrats, while Todd Gardenhire (R) is the Republican nominee.
House
- District 13: This seat will see a three way battle between Republican Gary Loe, Independent Nick H. Cazana, and Democrat Gloria Johnson.
- District 53 has a potential to be a swing district, with incumbent Janis Baird Sontany (D) retiring. Republicans have nominated Ben Claybaker to face Democrat Jason Powell.
| Tennessee State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 13 | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | 26 | |
| Total | 33 | 33 | |
| Tennessee House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 34 | 27 | |
| Republican Party | 64 | 71 | |
| Independent | 0 | 1 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | 99 | |
Articles
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Tennessee Congressional Seats
- State legislative elections, 2012
- Tennessee elections, 2012
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