Primary Thursday: Tennessee Overview and Live Results
By 270toWin Staff
August 2, 2018
We don't usually see Thursday primaries, but Tennessee holds one this week. The state has both a Senate and gubernatorial race this year, along with elections in its 9 congressional districts. Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, which is 7:00 PM local time for those in the Central Time Zone. Unlike many Southern states, there is no runoff - whomever gets the most votes moves on to the general election.
Results will appear below after the polls close. Reload the page for the latest numbers.
Tennessee Gubernatorial Primaries
Republican Governor Bill Haslam cannot run due to term limits. On the GOP side, Retiring Rep. Diane Black (TN-06) started out as the frontrunner, but the primary has turned into a four-way race that polling indicates is too close to call. Polling has Karl Dean well ahead on the Democratic side. The general election is seen as Likely Republican at this point.
Tennessee Senate Primaries
Republican Senator Bob Corker is not running for reelection. While both parties have contested primaries, the real action in this race is expected in November. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-07) and Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen should coast to their respective party nominations. Bredesen has had a small lead over Blackburn in most recent general election polling. However, this remains a deep red state - Donald Trump won by 26% in 2016. As such, the general consensus of this race at present is Leans Republican.
Tennessee House Primaries
Three Republican members of the Tennessee U.S. House delegation are not standing for reelection in November. This includes the aforementioned Diane Black & Marsha Blackburn, as well as the retiring 16-term incumbent in the 2nd district, John Duncan. While these three districts will have new names on the ballot, they are safe GOP districts. In fact, none of the state's nine districts is expected to be competitive this fall.
After a quiet month of July, the calendar picks up again next week. Tuesday the 7th will see primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington state, along with a competitive special election in Ohio's 12th congressional district.
