Tennessee House
Filing Deadline: April 3, 2008 • Primary Date: Aug. 7, 2008 • General Election: Nov. 4, 2008District Profile: The 1st takes in the far northeastern end of Tennessee, a district so heavily Republican that it has not elected a Democrat to the House for more than 100 years. Full Profile
2006 results: David Davis (R) defeated Rick Trent (D) by 61-37%.
Republican
Phil RoeRoe, the Johnson City mayor, was nominated with 50% in a three-way primary.
Democrat
Rob RussellRussell, a teacher, was nominated with 68% in a two-way primary.
District Profile: It is heavily Republican and has not elected a Democratic congressman since the Civil War. Full Profile
2006 results: John Duncan (R) defeated John Greene (D) by 78-22%.
Incumbent
John Duncan (R)Elected in 1988; Seeking 11th full term; Duncan was unopposed in the primary.
Challengers
Bob Scott (D)Scott, a chemical engineer, was nominated with 60% in a two-way primary.
District Profile: Politically, this area was split historically, with Chattanooga Democratic and the mountain counties Republican; today, however, it is solidly GOP. Full Profile
2006 results: Zach Wamp (R) defeated Brent Benedict (D) by 66-34%.
Incumbent
Zach Wamp (R)Elected in 1994; Seeking eighth term; Wamp was nominated with 91% in a two-way primary.
Challengers
Doug Vandagriff (D)Vandagriff, a Wal-Mart employee, was unopposed in the primary.
District Profile: The 4th reaches almost to Virginia in the northeast and almost to Mississippi in the southwest. It ranks as the fourth most rural district in the nation. Full Profile
2006 results: Lincoln Davis (D) defeated Kenneth Martin (R) by 66-34%.
Incumbent
Lincoln Davis (D)Elected in 2002; Seeking fourth term; Davis was nominated with 90% in a two-way primary.
Challengers
Monty Lankford (R)Lankford, a hospital equipment company owner, was nominated with 63% in a three-way primary.
District Profile: The district is reliably Democratic in statewide elections. It elects rather liberal Democrats to Congress -- after all, the 5th was home to the first Democratic president. Full Profile
2006 results: Jim Cooper (D) defeated Thomas Kovach (R) by 69-28%.
Incumbent
Jim Cooper (D)Elected in 2002; Seeking 10th term; Cooper was unopposed in the primary.
Challengers
Gerard Donovan (R)Donovan, a business consultant, was nominated with 72% in a two-way primary.
District Profile: Many new voters here are Republicans, but Democrats who controlled redistricting in 2002 were determined to stop the advance by removing rapidly growing GOP suburbs. Full Profile
2006 results: Bart Gordon (D) defeated David R. Davis (R) by 67-31%.
Incumbent
Bart Gordon (D)Elected in 1984; Seeking 13th term; Gordon was unopposed in the primary.
Challengers
None
District Profile: Redistricting added Republican Williamson County, making the 7th nearly as solidly Republican as the 1st District in faraway East Tennessee. Full Profile
2006 results: Marsha Blackburn (R) defeated Bill Morrison (D) by 66-32%.
Incumbent
Marsha Blackburn (R)Elected in 2002; Seeking fourth term; Blackburn was nominated with 62% in a two-way primary.
Challengers
Randy Morris (D)Morris, a businessman, was nominated with 77% in a two-way primary.
District Profile: Rural Carroll County is something of a bellwether in Tennessee politics, voting 56 percent for George W. Bush in 2004. Full Profile
2006 results: John Tanner (D) defeated John Farmer (R) by 73-27%.
Incumbent
John Tanner (D)Elected in 1988; Seeking 11th term; Tanner was unopposed in the primary.
Challengers
None
District Profile: Redistricting in 2002 reduced the black percentage from 66 percent to 60 percent, but the 9th remains the strongest Democratic district in the state. Full Profile
2006 results: Steve Cohen (D) defeated Jake Ford (I) and Mark White (R) by 60% to 22% and 18%, respectively.
Incumbent
Steve Cohen (D)Elected in 2006; Seeking second term; Cohen was nominated with 79% in a five-way primary.
Challengers
None
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Race Rankings
Based on likelihood of seat switching party control
1.
N.Y.-13
(Open-R)2.
N.Y.-25
(Open-R)3.
Ariz.-01
(Open-R)4.
Va.-11
(Open-R)5.
N.J.-03
(Open-R)6.
Texas-22
(Lampson-D)7.
Ill.-11
(Open-R)8.
La.-06
(Cazayoux-D)9.
Ohio-16
(Open-R)10.
N.J.-07
(Open-R)11.
N.M.-01
(Open-R)12.
Minn.-03
(Open-R)13.
Colo.-04
(Musgrave-R)14.
Ohio-15
(Open-R)15.
Alaska-AL
(Young-R)Previous Coverage
Check out National Journal's coverage of previous Tennessee house races.
