With less than 100 days until the election, Tennessee Republicans and Democrats have narrowed their election maps to a handful of seats as each party sees a chance to add members to next year’s General Assembly.
Republicans have limited opportunities to expand their caucus, as they already dominate nearly every seat outside Nashville and Memphis, controlling 75% of House seats and 81% of the Senate.
Democrats see seats in Memphis, Knoxville, Clarksville, Smyrna and possibly Signal Mountain as up for grabs. The addition of Signal Mountain follows the primary loss of more moderate incumbent Republican Patsy Hazlewood. Michele Reneau narrowly won the primary by positioning herself to the right of Hazlewood, painting her as insufficiently conservative.
Democrats have also nominated Kathy Lennon, a former school board member and teacher, to face Reneau, hoping name recognition and popularity can help overcome party identification.
A top Republican priority is also to regain a foothold in Nashville, where the GOP has been shut out of the Senate since 2020 and the House since 2018. The party will also try to flip a Clarksville seat held by Democrat Rep. Ronnie Glynn, who won his 2022 election by 153 votes.