A hotly contested governor’s race and equally spirited contest to replace a longtime congressman in East Tennessee’s 3rd District are sparking early voter interest before Thursday’s elections.
“We’re having an excellent, excellent turnout,” said Hamilton County Administrator of Elections Charlotte Mullis-Morgan of early voting, which ended Saturday.
She attributed the more than 13,000 ballots cast in early voting countywide to interest among Republican voters in the high-profile congressional and governor’s races and to a few heated local elections.
Mullis-Morgan said the county has more than 207,000 registered voters and that this year’s turnout numbers compare favorably to the 2006 midterm elections.
The Republican candidates for governor, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, of Chattanooga; Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, of Blountville; and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, are vying to face Democrat Mike McWherter, a Jackson beer distributor and son of former Gov. Ned McWherter, in November.