NASHVILLE — With no statewide positions on the Tennessee primary ballot on Thursday, much of the attention this election season has focused on congressional and state legislative races.
An open congressional seat in western Tennessee attracted a baker's dozen of candidates to enter the fray for the Republican nomination, while U.S. Reps. Scott DesJarlais and Diane Black are trying to fend off primary challenges from GOP candidates who are trying to position themselves to the right of the incumbents.
In the Tennessee General Assembly, all 99 House seats and 16 of 33 Senate seats up this year. Thirty-eight GOP incumbents are facing challenges by candidates seeking to join the strong Republican majorities in both chambers.
While state Rep. Jeremy Durham has suspended his campaign amid accusations of sexual harassment outlined in a state attorney general's report, the Franklin Republican remains on the ballot. Several Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Beth Harwell of Nashville, have made contributions to Durham's opponent Sam Whitson.
Voters will also decide whether to retain or replace three newly appointed state Supreme Court justices and seven appeals judges. Only one justice has ever been defeated in a Tennessee retention election. And unlike two years ago when Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey bankrolled an unsuccessful effort to oust three justices appointed by Democrats, there been no concerted effort this year to oust anyone from the bench.
Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Fincher's announcement this spring that he wouldn't seek re-election to his 8th District seat stretching from Memphis through rural northwestern Tennessee set off some of most spirited campaigning of the year.
The district is heavily Republican and is considered a safe GOP seat in November's general election. Of the 13 Republican candidates vying to succeed Fincher, five have raised significant amounts of money for their campaign. They are radiologist and radio station owner George Flinn; state Sen. Brian Kelsey; former U.S. Attorney David Kustoff; Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and businessman Brad Greer. From that group, all but Greer, who is from Jackson, are from the Memphis area.
In the 4th District, which runs southeast from the suburbs of Nashville to the outskirts of Chattanooga, DesJarlais is being challenged by Murfreesboro real estate attorney Grant Starrett.
DesJarlais, a physician from Jasper, has survived cancer and a series of revelations that included affairs with patients. He also urged a mistress to seek an abortion and once held a gun in his mouth for hours outside his ex-wife's room. He now opposes abortion rights.
DesJarlais, a perennial favorite among national pundits to be defeated in the primary, won the nomination in 2014 by just 38 votes. DesJarlais was an early supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and the congressman has hammered Starrett for being a California native "trust fund millionaire."
Starrett has loaned his campaign nearly $900,000.
In the 6th District, which runs northeast from the Nashville suburbs to the Cumberland Plateau, Black is seeking to fend off the tea party-styled challenge of former state Rep. Joe Carr of Murfreesboro. Black has heavily outspent Carr, but the challenger has had relied heavily on conservative talk radio to attack the incumbent as a member of the "establishment."
Carr surprised many observers when he came within 9 percentage points of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a former governor and presidential candidate, in the 2014 Senate primary. But Alexander largely ignored the Carr campaign during that nomination fight, while Black has gone on the offensive against her challenger this year. Black campaign mailers have targeted Carr for living outside the district boundaries and for being a perennial candidate.
Where to vote in State Primary and Hamilton County General elections
Listed below are the locations of the polling places that will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today:
Airport
Shepherd Recreation Center
2124 E. Shepherd Road
Alton Park 1 & 2
The Bethlehem Center
200 W. 38th St.
Amnicola
Chattanooga Fire Station 10
910 Wisdom St.
Apison 1, 2 & 3
Apison Retreat Center
11206 Old E. Brainerd Road
Avondale
Avondale Recreation Center
1305 Dodson Ave.
Bakewell 1 & 2
Rechoboth Baptist
12622 Dayton Pike
Birchwood
Meadowview Baptist
10715 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road
Bonny Oaks
Washington Hill Recreation
4628 Oakwood Drive
Brainerd
Brainerd Baptist Crossroads (BX)
4011 Austin St.
Brainerd Hills
Alahambra Shrine Temple
1000 Alhambra Drive
Bushtown
Carver Community Center
600 N. Orchard Knob Ave.
Collegedale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Collegedale City Hall
4910 Swinyar Drive
Concord 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Concord Baptist
7025 E. Brainerd Road
Courthouse 1 & 2
Chattanooga Urban League
730 E. M.L. King Blvd.
Dalewood
New Hope Baptist
3777 Wilcox Blvd.
Dallas 1 & 2
New Salem Baptist
9806 Dallas Hollow Road
Downtown 1 & 2
Boynton Terrace Senior Neighbor Center
957 Boynton Drive
Dupont
The Gathering
4445 Hixson Pike, Hixson
East Brainerd 1 & 2
Covenant Presbyterian
8451 E. Brainerd Road
East Chattanooga 1 & 2
East Chattanooga Rec Center
2409 Dodson Ave.
East Lake
East Lake Recreation Center (Gym)
3601 Dodds Ave.
East Ridge 1
East Ridge City Hall (Gym)
1517 Tombras Ave.
East Ridge 2
The American Legion
3329 Ringgold Road
East Ridge 3
East Ridge City Hall, Senior Center (Gym side entrance)
1517 Tombras Ave.
East Ridge 4
East Ridge United Methodist
1601 Prater Road
Eastdale
Eastdale Recreation Center
1314 Moss St.
Eastgate 1 & 2
New Covenant Fellowship
1326 N. Moore Road
Eastside 1 & 2
McGilvray Gym
1800 Kirby Ave.
Fairmount
Bachman Community Center
2815 Anderson Pike
Falling Water
Falling Water Baptist
523 Roberts Mill Road
Flat Top Mountain
Volunteer Firehall
13331 Jones Gap Road
Ganns
Middle Valley Church of God
1703 Thrasher Pike
Glenwood
Glenwood Recreation Center
2610 E. Third St.
Harrison 1, 2 & 6
Harrison Ruritan Club
5709 Tyner Lane
Harrison 3, 4 & 5
Bayside Baptist
6100 Highway 58
Hixson 1 & 2
Hixson First Baptist
5800 Grubb Road
Hixson 3
Burks United Methodist
6433 Hixson Pike
Kingspoint 1, 2 & 3
Oakwood Baptist (Gym)
4501 Bonny Oaks Drive
Lake Hills
Northminster Presbyterian
4791 Hal Drive
Lakesite
Lakesite City Hall
9201 Rocky Point Road
Lookout Mountain
Jane Harris Youth Building
301 N. Watauga Lane
Lookout Valley 1 & 2
John A. Patten Recreation Center
3202 Kellys Ferry Road
Lupton City
Lupton Drive Baptist
859 Lupton Drive
Meadowview
Volunteer Firehall No. 4
10916 Highway 58
Middle Valley 1 & 2
Middle Valley Baptist
7901 Middle Valley Road
Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association (Firehall)
36 Sheridan Ave.
Moccasin Bend
North Chattanooga Recreation Center
406 May St.
Mountain Creek 1, 2 & 3
Mountain Creek Church of Christ
985 Runyan Drive
Mowbray
Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department
1705 Mowbray Pike
Murray Hills 1 & 2
St Thaddaeus Episcopal
4300 Locksley Lane
North Chattanooga 1 & 2
Knights of Columbus
313 Sylvan St.
Northgate 1 & 2
Stuart Height Baptist Church. North Campus
1505 Cloverdale Drive
Northwoods 1 & 2
Calvary Baptist Church
5201 Dayton Blvd.
Ooltewah 1 & 2
Eastwood Church (Gym)
4300 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road
Ooltewah 3, 4, 5 & 6
Seventh-Day Adventist (Gym)
9209 Amos Road
Pleasant Grove 1 & 2
Pleasant Grove Baptist
7634 Gann Road
Red Bank 1
Disabled American Veterans
619 Memorial Drive
Red Bank 2
Red Bank Lion's Club
3704 Dayton Blvd.
Red Bank 3
Red Bank Cumberland Presb.
115 Morrison Springs Road
Ridgedale 1 & 2
Highland Park Community Center
1714 Duncan Ave.
Ridgeside
Ridgeside City Poolhouse
300 Shepherd Ave.
Riverview
Northside Presbyterian Church
923 Mississippi Ave.
Sale Creek
Sale Creek Lion's Club
15222 Coppinger Road
Signal Mountain 1 & 2
Signal Mountain Presbyterian
612 James Blvd.
Snowhill 1 & 2
Greenwood Baptist Church
8529 Snowhill Road
Soddy Daisy 1 & 4
Soddy Daisy Senior Citizen Center
190 Depot St.
Soddy Daisy 2 & 3
Daisy Church of God
9555 Dayton Pike
St Elmo 1 & 2
South Chatt. Recreation Center
1151 W. 40th St.
Stuart Heights
Rivermont Presbyterian
3319 Hixson Pike
Summit 1, 2, 3 & 4
Silverdale Cumberland Presbyterian
7407 Bonny Oaks Drive
Tyner 1 & 2
Tyner-East Brainerd Recreation (Gym)
6900 Ty-Hi Drive
Valdeau
Mtn. Creek Church of Christ
985 Runyan Drive
Walden
Walden Town Hall
1836 Taft Highway
Westview 1, 2 & 3
Christ United Methodist
8645 E. Brainerd Road
Woodmore 1 & 2
Brainerd Recreation Center
1010 N. Moore Road
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