Final unofficial results from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office show Democrats made their largest gains in the Tennessee House in three decades during Tuesday’s general election, flipping six Republican-held seats and unseating six incumbent Republicans.
Three of the six seats flipped in Rutherford County, where Democratic candidates defeated three of the county’s five Republican incumbents.
In House District 13, Democrat Brett Windrow defeated Republican incumbent Robert Stevens with 9,901 votes (51.44 percent) to Stevens’ 9,345 votes (48.56 percent).
Democrat Owen Farnsworth also defeated Republican incumbent Tim Rudd in District 34, receiving 10,751 votes (51.96 percent) compared to Rudd’s 9,938 votes (48.04 percent). In District 49, Democrat Connie Casha defeated incumbent Republican Mike Sparks with 10,417 votes (55.07 percent) to Sparks’ 8,498 votes (44.93 percent).
Democrats also flipped seats in Knoxville, Clarksville, and the Memphis area.
In District 18, Democrat Bryan Goldberg defeated Republican incumbent Elaine Davis, receiving 14,020 votes (55.04 percent) to Davis’ 11,452 votes (44.96 percent).
In District 75, Democrat Allie Phillips defeated Republican incumbent Michael Lankford, 7,822 votes (55.01 percent) to Lankford’s 6,396 votes (44.99 percent).
Democrat Jesse Huseth defeated Republican incumbent John Gillespie in District 97, receiving 13,895 votes (56.95 percent) to Gillespie’s 10,502 votes (43.05 percent).
In the State Senate, Republicans retained their existing seats, maintaining a 27-6 advantage in the chamber. Republican Jimmy Matlock won the open Senate District 5 seat after longtime State Senator and Lt. Governor Randy McNally retired.
While the victories mark the first time Democrats have gained multiple seats in a Tennessee House election since 1996, Republicans will retain control of the chamber and their supermajority, holding 68 seats to Democrats’ 31.
Republicans have controlled both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly since 2010.
Democrats also captured one Republican-held congressional seat in Tuesday’s election, as Victoria Broderick defeated eight-term incumbent Scott DesJarlais by 280 votes in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District. Despite this, the state’s congressional delegation will retain its 8-1 Republican-to-Democrat makeup.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Tennessee State Capitol” by Ken Lund. CC BY-SA 2.0.
