Government & Legal Update State Advocacy Update: State Election Primer With the Tennessee General Assembly having adjourned for the year, lawmakers have returned to their home districts and shifted their focus toward the upcoming 2022 elections. With the August 4th primaries for state and federal offices around the corner, we wanted to provide a brief overview of the election landscape and the four proposed constitutional amendments that will be on the general election ballot in November. Key Dates State & Federal Primary Voter Registration Deadline July 5 Early Voting (State & Federal Primary) July 15 – July 30 Election Day (State & Federal Primary) Thursday, Aug. 4 State & Federal General Election Voter Registration Deadline Oct. 11 General Election Early Voting Oct. 19 – Nov. 3 General Election Absentee Ballot Request Deadline Nov. 1 Election Day (State & Federal General) Tuesday, Nov. 8 U.S. House of Representatives All nine U.S. House seats in Tennessee are on the ballot this Fall (as they are every two years). Eight incumbents are seeking reelection, the only exception being Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) who is retiring after having held the 5th District seat since 2003. A newly redrawn fifth district will feature a competitive Republican primary (nine candidates have qualified for the ballot). Heidi Campbell, who currently represents Nashville in the state senate, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. The new-look fifth, which now includes portions of reliably “red” Wilson, Williamson, and Maury Counties, is forecasted to favor Republicans in the general election. Incumbents Diana Harshbarger (R-District 1), Tim Burchett (RDistrict 2), Scott DesJarlais (R-District 4), and John Rose (R-District 6) are running unopposed in their respective primaries, while primary opponents have qualified to run against Chuck Fleischmann (R-District 3), David Kustoff (R-District 8), and Steve Cohen (D-District 9). Governor Governor Bill Lee is running unopposed in the Republican primary. Three candidates have qualified for the Democratic priThe Tennessee Insuror
mary, and eight candidates have qualified to be on the ballot as independents. Results of a May 26, 2022 poll by Vanderbilt University had Governor Lee’s approval rating at 56 percent. He is expected to easily win another four-year term in office. State House of Representatives The Tennessee Constitution requires all 99 state representative seats to be elected every two years. There are fifteen open seats for the state house due to a combination of retirements, resignations, and redistricting: District 13 (Murfreesboro/Smyrna) District 18 (Knoxville) District 24 (Cleveland) District 26 (Hixson/Chattanooga) District 32 (Kingston/Harriman) District 35 (Gallatin) District 52 (Nashville) District 59 (Nashville)
District 61 (Franklin) District 63 (Franklin) District 67 (Clarksville) District 69 (Dickson) District 71 (Waynesboro) District 75 (Clarksville) District 79 (Lexington)
44 incumbents (31 Republicans and 13 Democrats) do not face a primary or general challenger and will retain their seats. Republicans will need to win 35 of the 45 contested seats to maintain their “supermajority” (i.e. controlling two-thirds of the chamber) control, which is widely expected. State Senate State senators are elected to fouryear terms, with half the body running every two years. This year, 17 of 33 state senate seats (all odd-numbered districts) are on the ballot. Currently, Republicans hold 27 of 33 seats. There are four open seats: District 1 (McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, part of Bradley Counties) District 19 (Part of Davidson Co.) District 31 (Part of Shelby Co.) District 33 (Part of Shelby Co.) Five incumbents (four Republicans and one Democrat) are running unopposed in the primary and general elections. Three incumbents, all Republicans, face primary opponents but are heavily favored to retain their seats. Republicans are expected to maintain their 27-6 advantage in the 113th General Assembly. 31
