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Tennessee 2010 legislative election results
Senate
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| Other 2010 Election information |
Tennessee State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Tennessee State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Tennessee State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| Tennessee State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 14 | 13 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | 20 | |
| Total | 33 | 33 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 15 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 1 incumbent lost, and thus 14 incumbents were re-elected to the Tennessee State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 1 Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 3 new senators sworn-in. Of those 3, 0 are Democrats and 3 are Republicans
- Of the 17 seats up for election, 6 were won by Democrats and 11 by Republicans.
- 6 candidates were unopposed, 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans.
- Only 3 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Tennessee, 2 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 15 incumbents (88.2%) ran for re-election. Of these 15 incumbents, 1 was defeated (Democratic incumbent).
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Jackson |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Summerville |
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Tennessee, 3 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 3, 0 are Democrats and 3 are Republicans. Republicans won both open seat contests. In total, Tennessee elected 17 senators, 11 Republicans and 6 Democrats.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the Tennessee State Senate:
Democratic
There are no candidates under this category
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Tennessee State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Tennessee, 6 candidates (24.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 6, 2 were Democrats and 4 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Tennessee, 3 (9.7%) of the 31 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
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| Other 2010 Election information |
Tennessee State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Tennessee House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| Tennessee House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 48 | 34 | |
| Republican Party | 51 | 64 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 99 | 99 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 90 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 12 incumbents lost, and thus 78 incumbents were re-elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 12 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 21 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 21, 0 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans
- Of the 99 seats up for election, 34 were won by Democrats, 64 by Republicans, and 1 by an Independent.
- 43 candidates were unopposed, 15 Democrats and 28 Republicans.
- Only 16 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Tennessee, 90 (90.9%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 90, 12 incumbent representatives were defeated. All 12 incumbents were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Jon Lundberg
- Tony Shipley
- Kent Williams, Tennessee Representative
- David Hawk
- Dale Ford
- Matthew Hill (Tennessee)
- Mike Harrison
- Eddie Yokley
- Richard Montgomery
- Harry Tindell
- Ryan Haynes
- Joe Armstrong
- Bill Dunn
- Frank Niceley
- Tommie Brown
- Joanne Favors
- Dennis Ferguson
- Jim Hackworth
- Bill Harmon (Tennessee)
- Leslie Winningham
- George Fraley
- Michael McDonald (Tennessee)
- Stratton Bone, Jr.
- Gary Moore Sr. (Tennessee)
- Mike Stewart (Tennessee)
- John Windle
- Brenda Gilmore
- Ty Cobb
- Eddie Bass
- John Tidwell
- Judy Barker
- Henry Fincher
- Charles Curtiss
- Willie Borchert
- Judd Matheny
- Kent Coleman
- Johnny Shaw
- James Naifeh
- Joe Towns Jr.
- Janis Baird Sontany
- Larry Miller (Tennessee representative)
- Jeanne Richardson
- Ulysses Jones, Jr.
- Gary Odom
- Mike Kernell
- Mary Pruitt
- Sherry Jones (Tennessee)
- David Shepard (Tennessee)
- Mark Maddox
- Craig Fitzhugh
- Johnnie Turner (Tennessee)
- Barbara Cooper
- Karen Camper
- John DeBerry Jr.
- Lois DeBerry
- G.A. Hardaway
- Harry Brooks (Tennessee)
- Robert Ramsey
- Jimmy Matlock
- Eric Watson
- Kevin Brooks
- Richard Floyd
- Gerald McCormick
- Vince Dean
- Jim Cobb
- Dennis Roach (Tennessee)
- Debra Maggart
- Joe Carr
- Joshua Evans
- Pat Marsh
- Terri Lynn Weaver
- Joey Hensley
- Steve McDaniel
- Beth Harwell
- Jimmy Eldridge
- Charles Sargent, Jr.
- Glen Casada
- Mark White (Tennessee)
- Curtis Johnson (Tennessee)
- Curtis Halford
- Barrett Rich
- Joe Pitts (Tennessee)
- Vance Dennis
- Ron Lollar
- Phillip Johnson
- Curry Todd
- Stephen McManus
- Jim Coley
- Michael Turner (Tennessee)
- Paul Cook (California)
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Eddie Yokley | ||
| Dennis Ferguson | ||
| Jim Hackworth | ||
| Leslie Winningham | ||
| George Fraley | ||
| Stratton Bone, Jr. | ||
| Ty Cobb | ||
| Judy Barker | ||
| Henry Fincher | ||
| Willie Borchert | ||
| Kent Coleman | ||
| Mark Maddox |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Tennessee, 24 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 21, 0 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans. In the 10 open seat contests, Republicans won 10 and Democrats 0. In total, Tennessee elected 120 representatives, 64 Republicans, 34 Democrats, and 1 independent.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the Tennessee House of Representatives:
Republican
- Scotty Campbell
- Art Swann
- Don Miller (Tennessee)
- Jeremy Faison
- Andrew Holt
- Tim Wirgau
- Bill Sanderson
- Jim Gotto
- Sheila Butt
- Linda Elam
- Mark Pody
- Mike Sparks (Tennessee)
- Kelly Keisling
- Ryan Williams (Tennessee)
- John W. Forgety
- Cameron Sexton
- Julia Cheyanne Hurley
- John Ragan
- Richard B. Womick
- Dennis Powers (Tennessee)
- David Alexander (Tennessee)
- Steve Hall (Tennessee)
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Tennessee State Senate:
Democratic
- Harry Tindell
- Joe Armstrong
- Tommie Brown
- Joanne Favors
- Bill Harmon (Tennessee)
- Michael McDonald (Tennessee)
- Gary Moore Sr. (Tennessee)
- Mike Stewart (Tennessee)
- John Windle
- Brenda Gilmore
- Eddie Bass
- John Tidwell
- Charles Curtiss
- Johnny Shaw
- James Naifeh
- Joe Towns Jr.
- Janis Baird Sontany
- Larry Miller (Tennessee representative)
- Jeanne Richardson
- Ulysses Jones, Jr.
- Gary Odom
- Mike Kernell
- Mary Pruitt
- Sherry Jones (Tennessee)
- David Shepard (Tennessee)
- Craig Fitzhugh
- Johnnie Turner (Tennessee)
- Barbara Cooper
- Karen Camper
- John DeBerry Jr.
- Lois DeBerry
- G.A. Hardaway
- Joe Pitts (Tennessee)
- Michael Turner (Tennessee)
Republican
- Jon Lundberg
- Tony Shipley
- Scotty Campbell
- David Hawk
- Dale Ford
- Matthew Hill (Tennessee)
- Art Swann
- Mike Harrison
- Don Miller (Tennessee)
- Jeremy Faison
- Richard Montgomery
- Ryan Haynes
- Bill Dunn
- Frank Niceley
- Andrew Holt
- Tim Wirgau
- Bill Sanderson
- Jim Gotto
- Sheila Butt
- Linda Elam
- Mark Pody
- Mike Sparks (Tennessee)
- Kelly Keisling
- Ryan Williams (Tennessee)
- John W. Forgety
- Cameron Sexton
- Julia Cheyanne Hurley
- John Ragan
- Richard B. Womick
- Judd Matheny
- Harry Brooks (Tennessee)
- Robert Ramsey
- Jimmy Matlock
- Eric Watson
- Kevin Brooks
- Richard Floyd
- Gerald McCormick
- Vince Dean
- Jim Cobb
- Dennis Roach (Tennessee)
- Debra Maggart
- Joe Carr
- Joshua Evans
- Pat Marsh
- Terri Lynn Weaver
- Joey Hensley
- Steve McDaniel
- Beth Harwell
- Jimmy Eldridge
- Charles Sargent, Jr.
- Glen Casada
- Mark White (Tennessee)
- Curtis Johnson (Tennessee)
- Curtis Halford
- Barrett Rich
- Vance Dennis
- Ron Lollar
- Phillip Johnson
- Curry Todd
- Stephen McManus
- Jim Coley
- Dennis Powers (Tennessee)
- David Alexander (Tennessee)
- Steve Hall (Tennessee)
- Paul Cook (California)
Other
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Tennessee, 43 candidates (43.4% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 44, 15 were Democrats and 28 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
- Bill Dunn
- John W. Forgety
- Charles Sargent, Jr.
- Dale Ford
- Curry Todd
- David Hawk
- Ryan Haynes
- Dennis Roach (Tennessee)
- Steve McDaniel
- Eric Watson
- Gerald McCormick
- Glen Casada
- Harry Brooks (Tennessee)
- Jim Cobb
- Jim Coley
- Jimmy Eldridge
- Jimmy Matlock
- Jon Lundberg
- Kevin Brooks
- Mark White (Tennessee)
- Mike Harrison
- Richard Floyd
- Robert Ramsey
- Ron Lollar
- Stephen McManus
- Vance Dennis
- Vince Dean
- Jerome Cochran
Ballot Access
In Tennessee, 16 (9.4%) of the 171 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. One candidate, Kent Williams, Tennessee Representative, won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Tennessee.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
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| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
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|
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| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
