| At first glance, Tennessee's
red state credentials appear to be untouchable. President Bush won
57 percent of the state's votes in the 2004 presidential election
and in 2000 Bush beat Tennessee's own Al Gore, making him one of
the only presidential candidates in history to lose his home state.
Furthermore, both of Tennessee's senators are Republican and its
location in the South places it at the heart of America's bastion
of red states.
 Despite
these factors, Tennessee has a decidedly strong Democratic undercurrent,
particularly in state-level politics. Democrats have a seven-seat
edge over the Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly. And
only after the 2004 elections did Republicans pick up a slim majority
in the Tennessee Senate for the first time in over a century.
On the national level, five of the state's nine House members
are Democrats.
In 2006, many political commentators believe that Tennessee will
be one of the major battleground states in the Democrats' quest
to wrestle back power from the Republicans.
One of the most competitive Senate races in the country this
year is between Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. and former Chattanooga
Mayor Bob Corker, a Republican.
Ford is the product of a powerful Memphis political dynasty that
has seen its share of controversy in recent years. He is seen
by many as a charismatic and conservative Democrat who appears
to be at the beginning of a long political career.
Corker is an independently wealthy former mayor who emerged victorious
from a brutal three-way primary race that became the most expensive
primary in Tennessee history. He is currently outpolling Ford.
 As
the Senate battle heats up, none of Tennessee's U.S. House races
or its gubernatorial race appear to be competitive. Pam Prah,
a political analyst for Stateline.org, believes that Democratic
Gov. Phil Bredesen "appears to be well positioned to win
his bid for a second full term against state Sen. Jim Bryson."
Although not all races are competitive, Tennessee politics remains
in the news. On May 26, 2005, four Democratic lawmakers in the
Tennessee legislature, one of them Harold Ford Jr.'s uncle John,
were arrested on federal bribery charges along with several others
in a sting operation known as Tennessee Waltz. The arrests sent
seismic shock waves throughout Tennessee and have resulted in
three guilty pleas and one conviction so far with five more politicians
awaiting their trials.
This scandal, along with other national corruption scandals,
has contributed to a general anti-incumbent mood in Tennessee
which could have an effect this fall.
-- Compiled by David Schultz
for the Online NewsHour
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