A Victory For The GOP In Tennessee

Republicans have been successful in smashing the century-and-a-half Democratic dynasty in Tennessee in recent years. In 2004, the State Senate was elected Republican for the first time in 140 years. The GOP maintained the lead in the 2006 elections. Republicans also picked up another seat in the State House Of Representatives in 2006. The makeup of the two chambers are as follows: STATE SENATE 104th (2005-2007) 18 R - 15 D
105th (2007-2009) 17 R - 16D
STATE HOUSE 104th 54 D - 45 R
105th 53 D - 46 R

On Tuesday, the GOP picked up another victory in the battle to end Democratic domination of state politics. Senator John Wilder from Mason was voted out of his position of Speaker of the Senate, a title he had held for 36 years. The Speaker also holds the title of Lieutenant Governor in this state, a position that welds significant power in its own right. The new Speaker is Senator Ron Ramsey from Blountville, who has served in the Senate since 1997. Politics watchers across Tennessee were watching this event, because Mr. Wilder's days as Speaker were now questionable. Mr. Wilder could have been voted out in 2005, but Senator Mike Williams of Maynardville, an "independent Republican", decided to vote with Democrats to continue the "Wilder Era".

Although Mr. Wilder's days as Speaker were recently uncertain again, it took an unexpected turn of events to bring down 140 years of Democratic grip on the Speaker's chair. Democratic Senator Rosalind Kurita from Clarksville broke ranks with her party and, as she put it, "voted my conscience" as she voted for Mr. Ramsey. After it was clear that Mr. Wilder's days were over in that position, Mr. Williams put his vote to Ramsey as well. Mr. Williams sat on the fence throughout these last couple of months, and seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting by being the deciding vote at the time. He even bragged about how he has been "independent" since his young days. The final vote was 18-15 in favor of Ramsey.

This is a big deal for the GOP here in Tennessee. Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, attracted national attention when he came down with symptoms that eventually led him to a Mayo clinic in Minnesota. Back here, the state constitution was brought up, and it was being strongly considered whether Mr. Bredesen could continue to govern out of state for so long.
Now, if a situation happens if Mr. Bredesen can't govern, God forbid, a Republican would have the opportunity to take his place for a time.

Even more important, this is a step in the right direction when it comes to redistricting. As we prepare for the 2010 Census, and the U.S. Congressional redistricting it will bring, a GOP-led state legislature is critical. Now that the Senate has been elected for the GOP in two straight elections and the Speaker is now Republican, we only have to hold the Senate and get to work on the House. Only four House seats have to go GOP to change control for the first time in 140 years. If we pick up maybe two Senate seats, and about seven or eight House seats by redistricting time, we could see U.S. House seats in Tennessee become more Republican.

Currently, Tennessee has five Democratic congressman and four Republican ones. Redistricting could put U.S. House districts Four and Six in play. District Four straddles the line between East and Middle Tennessee and expands to much of southern Middle Tennessee. Important cities in this district include Crossville, McMinnville, Tullahoma and Columbia. District Six stretches from the eastern Nashville suburbs to the Upper Cumberland region, all in Middle Tennessee. Important cities here include Cookeville (home to my Tennessee Tech University),
Murfreesboro and Gallatin.

Both districts were in play during the 1990s. District Four was represented by Mr. Van Hilleary, a Republican, until he stepped away in 2002 and ran for Governor. He lost to the before-mentioned Phil Bredesen. Mr. Lincoln Davis, a Democrat, now represents the district, and he won by a large margin, 66%-34% in 2006. However, his first two elections, in 2002 and 2004, were by close margins in an area that was already redistricted. District Six included the heavily Republican Williamson County in the 1990s, an area dominated by the suburbs south of Nashville. The seat was in play in 1994, when Republicans had a banner year. Former University of Tennessee basketball standout and popular talk radio host Steve Gill was the Republican against career politician Bart Gordon, a Democrat. Mr. Gordon has represented the Sixth District since 1985, and faced a stiff challenge from Mr. Gill. In the end Gordon received a close victory. The 1996 Gordon-Gill rematch was close as well, but Gordon still won again. Ever since, Mr. Gordon has won the district handily, but Williamson County was lost in the redistricting of 2000.

The eastern part of the district has been strongly Democratic for decades, but the hold seems to be loosening. Putnam County (Cookeville) has been reliably GOP for Presidential and U.S. Senate races. The surrounding counties remain reliably Democratic, but the entire area (known as the Upper Cumberland) is experiencing the rise of a Republican grassroots movement. The reason the area is turning GOP is simply a matter of morals. The U.C. area is deeply Christian, has concerns about illegal immigration, and is concerned about the recent loss of manufacturing jobs. The GOP is known for its stand against abortion and homosexuality, and is more concerned with stopping illegal immigration (for the most part) than the Democrats. I worked with the Putnam County GOP during the 2006 election cycle, and comments like, "I can't vote for baby killers" or "Those Democrats will raise my taxes" were heard. A formerly reliable Democratic stronghold is finally waking up to the fact that national Democrats are not looking out for Christian morals. However, I am getting a bit off subject. The point is that a GOP majority is needed in Tennessee legislature to redistrict some now-Democratic seats into play.
If redistricting is done in that manner, the Fourth and Sixth districts could go into play. If they would turn GOP, the party would hold a 6-3 advantage over the Dems in the Tennessee congressional seats.