NASHVILLE — Former Democratic state Sen. Rosalind Kurita, who staked her political future on supporting a Republican for speaker, now is being rejected by Republicans in her bid to become Tennessee’s secretary of state.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, whom then-Sen. Kurita helped elect as Senate speaker in 2007, confirmed Thursday that rank-and-file Republicans, as well as grass-roots activists, fiercely oppose Ms. Kurita’s election by lawmakers to the post.

“That’s true,” said Lt. Gov. Ramsey, who last week stated that Ms. Kurita, of Clarksville, would make a “great” secretary of state.

“Rosalind Kurita voted for me for lieutenant governor,” said Sen. Ramsey, who as Senate speaker also has the title of lieutenant governor. “I owed her at least a consideration there. That obviously is not going to happen, and I have no problem with that. Keep in mind I don’t appoint this position.”

Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said other GOP lawmakers and Republican activists in his district were opposed and “it was beginning to escalate” because the GOP has not had control of both House and Senate since 1869.

Efforts to contact Ms. Kurita were unsuccessful.

In 2007, then-Sen. Kurita’s vote for Sen. Ramsey as speaker over longtime Democratic Speaker John Wilder infuriated fellow Democrats. After Ms. Kurita won an 11-vote victory in the August Democratic primary, Democrats stripped her of her nomination, forcing her to run as an independent. She lost in the Nov. 4 election.

In Tennessee, the state’s three constitutional officers — the secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer — are elected not by the public but by the 132 members of the General Assembly.

The positions now are held by Secretary of State Riley Darnell, Comptroller John Morgan and Treasurer Dale Sims. All three men are Democrats because Democrats have controlled a majority of legislative seats.

But after last week’s elections, Republicans now have 19 votes in the 33-member Senate chamber, and in the House GOP lawmakers gained four seats to give them a 50-49 majority in the 99-member chamber. That also gives them the ability to elect the constitutional officers.

Republican office seekers are laying virtual siege to Republican lawmakers. Among them is newly elected Sen. Ken Yager, R-Harriman, who said he has been contacted by a number of Republicans seeking the post.

“I have not committed,” Sen. Yager said. “I don’t want to make early commitments. I want to see what the whole playing field is.”

Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga, said he has “had a lot of phone calls,” but said, “I don’t make commitments over the phone.”

The secretary of state’s responsibilities include oversight of elections and corporate registrations. The comptroller’s office conducts audits of state and local government entities and handles state bonds. The treasurer largely is responsible for handling state financial investments.