Weekend reading: House races a primary concern
With the passing of Thursday’s filing deadline for candidates wishing to be considered by Tennessee voters for the State House, the big surprise in the final candidate list is no so much who is running, but rather the lack of Republican challengers in several key districts.
Democratic house members John Litz and Nathan Vaughn, both in Northeast Tennessee districts that have leaned Republican in the past, will have no opponents in November as the GOP has declined to field primary candidates. Also upstate, State Rep. Eddie Yokely (D-Greeneville) faces a rematch with Republican Charlotte Leibrock.
A number of prominent members of the legislature from both parties are going unchallenged.
Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D-Tiptonville) and Republican Minority Leader Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) have no challengers. Also on that list are Reps. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol), Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley), Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), and Dennis Ferguson (D-Midtown).
Several races have political watchers especially intrigued:
State Rep. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) is expected to face a stiff challenge in the Republican primary against Gary Drinnen, George Dodson, and David Garrett Jr. Campfield, a freshman house member, has caused some consternation among major Knox County Republicans with his internet blog and a feud he had with the Legislative Black Caucus.
Former Bredesen Administration Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips, who resigned last year after allegations that his department was run with political favoritism, is looking to unseat freshman Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough). Phillips had served as Washington County Sheriff prior to moving to Nashville.
State Rep. Edith Taylor Langster (D-Nashville) has a fight on her hands against a number of primary challengers, including Metro Councilwoman Brenda Gilmore. Gilmore is known as a vigorous campaigner and has many expecting a strong showing on her part.
Here is the complete list of qualified candidates:
- House District 1
- Kevin B. Smith (D)
- John Crawford (R)
- John Lunberg(R)
- John Robert Harrison (I)
- Jerry Dykes (I)
- Nathan Vaughn (D)
- Jason Mumpower (R)
- Jerome Cochran (R)
- Kent Williams (R)
- David Hawk (R)
- Joshua Arwood (R)
- Ethan Flynn (R)
- Dale Ford (R)
- Lee Sowers (R)
- Patti Jarrett (R)
- Michael Malone (R)
- Fred Phillips (D)
- Nancy Fischman (D)
- Matthew Hill (R)
- Timothy Self (D)
- Joe McCord (R)
- Louis Hopkins, Jr. (D)
- Michael Harrison (R)
- William Sharpe (R)
- John Litz (D)
- Eddie Yokely (D)
- Charlotte Leibrock (R)
- Richard Montgomery (R)
- Harry Tindell (D)
- James R. Parker (R)
- Cindy McGill (D)
- Park Strader (R)
- Joe Armstrong (D)
- Pete Drew (I)
- Bill Dunn (R)
- Frank Nicely (R)
- Jim Bletner (R)
- Schree Pettigrew (D)
- Stacey Campfield (R)
- Gary Drinnen (R)
- George Dodson (R)
- David Garrett, Jr. (R)
- Harry Brooks (R)
- Doug Overby (R)
- Ann Barker (D)
- Jimmy Matlock (R)
- Casey Stokes (D)
- Eric Watson (R)
- Bob McKee (R)
- Mike Bell (R)
- Greg Kane (R)
- Harold Rowe (R)
- Kevin Brooks (R)
- Gary D. Moore (R)
- Michael Willis (R)
- Robert Safdie (D)
- Eric Swafford (R)
- Gerald McCormick (D)
- William Lusk (D)
- Howard Cotter (R)
- Richard Floyd (R)
- Tommie Brown (D)
- Issac Robinson (I)
- JoAnn Favors (D)
- Vincent Dean (R)
- Glen Mosely (D)
- Christian Lanier (R)
- John G. McDougal (R)
- Ed Warren (R)
- Jeff Lewis (R)
- Randall Fairbanks (R)
- David Norton (R)
- Dennis Ferguson (D)
- Jim Hackworth (D)
- David Massengill (R)
- Mary Esther Bell (D)
- Jimmy L. Richardson III (D)
- Donna Rowland (R)
- Dennis Roach (R)
- Rich Brewer (R)
- James C. White (D)
- Gary Seale (D)
- William Baird(R)
- Bill Harmon (D)
- Eva Michell Russell (D)
- Les Winningham (D)
- George Fraley (D)
- Wayne Brandon (D)
- Bill Green (R)
- Ray Burns (R)
- Frank Buck (D)
- Terri Lynn Weaver (R)
- Carl Jones (I)
- John Mark Windle (D)
- Louis Coomer (D)
- Henry Fincher (D)
- Dr. Charles Womack (D)
- Thomas Wallabee (D)
- Robert Cunningham (I)
- John Western (I)
- Charles Curtiss (D)
- Mike McDonald (D)
- Tim Coker (R)
- Patrick Gardner (D)
- Debra Maggert (R)
- Stratton Bone (D)
- John Dee Worley (R)
- David Clark (D)
- Garth Segroves (D)
- Judd Matheny (R)
- John Hood (D)
- Angela Bransby (D)
- Joe Carr (R)
- Kent Coleman (D)
- Oscar Gardner (R)
- Kevin Fisher (R)
- Gary Moore (D)
- Mike Turner (D)
- Rob Briley (D)
- Jonathan K. Davidson (I)
- Janis Sontany (D)
- Quintessa Hathaway (D)
- Edith Langster (D)
- Brenda Gilmore (D)
- Terry Clayton (D)
- Melvin Gill (D)
- Gary Odom (D)
- Beth Harwell (R)
- Susan Lynn (R)
- Mary Pruitt (D)
- Jason Powell (D)
- William Boyd (R)
- Sherry Jones (D)
- Richard Clark, Jr. (D)
- Mike Meadows (R)
- Ben West (D)
- Juan Borges (R)
- Ray Blair (D)
- Charles Sargent (R)
- Curt Cobb (D)
- John Murphy (D)
- Glenn Casada(R)
- Guy Derryberry (D)
- Tom DuBois (D)
- Joe Fowlkes (D)
- Eddie Bass (D)
- Jim Moon (R)
- Shannon Polen (D)
- James Hubbard (D)
- Larry Fletcher (D)
- Robert Bibb (D)
- Joshua Evans (R)
- Patrick Carneal (R)
- Joe Pitts (D)
- Reber Kennedy, Jr. (R)
- Wallace Redd (R)
- Kenneth Takasaki (R)
- Tim Barnes (D)
- Tony Blakely (D)
- Curtiss Johnson (R)
- David Shepard (D)
- Tim Dickey (D)
- Joey Hensley (R)
- Randy Rinks (D)
- Vance Dennis (R)
- Steve McDaniel (R)
- Jimmy Eldridge (R)
- John Tidwell (D)
- Willie Borchett (D)
- Steven Blackwell (R)
- James Hart (R)
- Mark Maddux(D)
- David Hawks(R)
- Phillip Pinion (D)
- Jim Theriac (D)
- Shelley Arnett(R)
- Bruce Gibbs (D)
- Kurt M. Scott (D)
- Philip Johnson (R)
- Cheri Childress (D)
- Chris Crider (R)
- Johnny Shaw (D)
- James Wolf (R)
- Jimmy Naifeh (D)
- Craig Fitzhugh (D)
- Brian Kelsey (D)
- Joe Towns (D)
- Larry Turner (D)
- Paul Lewis (D)
- Errol D. Harmon (D)
- Barbara Cooper (D)
- George Edwards (R)
- Gary Rowe (D)
- Jeffery Shields (D)
- Larry Miller (D)
- Beverly Marrero (D)
- Larry Henson (D)
- John Farmer (R)
- John DeBerry (D)
- Lois DeBerry (D)
- Kavin Carter (D)
- Henri Brooks (D)
- Elbert Rich (D)
- Michael Saine(D)
- Mike Kernell (D)
- Tim Cook (R)
- Robert "Bob" Doll (D)
- Dolores Gresham (R)
- Curry Todd (R)
- Brad Jobe (R)
- Steven MacManus (R)
- Jim Coley (R)
- Charles Pitman (R)
- Austin Farley (R)
- Ulysses Jones (D)
- Stephen Young (D)
- Eric P. Jones (D)
- Carl Plunk (R)
- John Wilkerson (R)
- Robert Lollar (R)
- Glen Bascom (R)
- Mike Wissman (R)
- Steve Evans (R)
- Nolan Manley (R)
- Jonathan Myers (R)
House District 2
House District 3
House District 4
House District 5
House District 6
House District 7
House District 8
House District 9
House District 10
House District 11
House District 12
House District 13
House District 14
House District 15
House District 16
House District 17
House District 18
House District 19
House District 20
House District 21
House District 22
House District 23
House District 24
House District 25
House District 26
House District 27
House District 28
House District 29
House District 30
House District 31
House District 32
House District 33
House District 34
House District 35
House District 36
House District 37
House District 38
House District 39
House District 40
House District 41
House District 42
House District 43
House District 44
House District 45
House District 46
House District 47
House District 48
House District 49
House District 50
House District 51
House District 52
House District 53
House District 54
House District 55
House District 56
House District 57
House District 58
House District 59
House District 60
House District 61
House District 62
House District 63
House District 64
House District 65
House District 66
House District 67
House District 68
House District 69
House District 70
House District 71
House District 72
House District 73
House District 74
House District 75
House District 76
House District 77
House District 78
House District 79
House District 80
House District 81
House District 82
House District 83
House District 84
House District 85
House District 86
House District 87
House District 88
House District 89
House District 90
House District 91
House District 92
House District 93
House District 94
House District 95
House District 96
House District 97
House District 98
House District 99
- Politics
- Edith Taylor Langster
- Beth Halteman Harwell
- Bill Dunn
- Brenda Gilmore
- Charlotte Leibrock
- Craig Fitzhugh
- David Garrett Jr.
- Dennis Ferguson
- Eddie Yokely
- Fred Phillips
- Gary Drinnen
- George Dodson
- James O. 'Jimmy' Naifeh
- Jason E. Mumpower
- John Litz
- Kathaleen Ann Barker
- Matthew Hill
- Nathan Vaughn
- Stacey Campfield
- Elections: Tenn. state offices
- Politics: State government




