Tennessee state legislative special elections, 2019
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In 2019, three special elections was called to fill vacant seats in the Tennessee State Legislature. Click here to read more about the special elections.
Senate special elections called:
- District 32: March 12
- District 22: April 23
House special elections called:
- District 77: December 19
How vacancies are filled in Tennessee
If there is a vacancy in the Tennessee General Assembly, there are two ways a vacancy can be filled. When twelve months or more remain before the next general election, a special election must be held within the allowable time frame set by law. If fewer than twelve months remain before the next general election, members of the legislative body in the county where the vacancy occurred must vote on a replacement.[1]
See sources: Tennessee Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15
About the legislature
The Tennessee General Assembly consists of the Tennessee State Senate and the Tennessee House of Representatives. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2018 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
Tennessee State Senate | |||
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Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 4 | 5 | |
Republican Party | 26 | 28 | |
Vacancy | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 33 | 33 |
Tennessee House of Representatives | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 25 | 26 | |
Republican Party | 69 | 73 | |
Vacancy | 5 | 0 | |
Total | 99 | 99 |
Special elections
Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:
March 12, 2019
Tennessee State Senate District 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for Tennessee State Senate District 32 was called for March 12, 2019. The primary was held on January 24, 2019. Candidates wishing to run in this election were required to file by December 13, 2018.[2] The seat became vacant after Mark Norris (R) was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on January 8, 2018, to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.[3] General electionSpecial general election for Tennessee State Senate District 32Paul Rose defeated Eric Coleman in the special general election for Tennessee State Senate District 32 on March 12, 2019.
Democratic primary electionSpecial Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 32Eric Coleman advanced from the special Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 32 on January 24, 2019.
Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 32Paul Rose defeated George Chism, Heidi Shafer, and Stephen McManus in the special Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 32 on January 24, 2019.
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April 23, 2019
Tennessee State Senate District 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for Tennessee State Senate District 22 was called for April 23, 2019. The primary was held on March 7, 2019. Candidates wishing to run in this election were required to file by January 24, 2019.[4] The seat became vacant after Mark Green (R) won election to Tennessee's 7th Congressional District in November 2018. Rosalind Kurita (I) was appointed to fill the seat on January 14, 2019. General electionSpecial general election for Tennessee State Senate District 22Bill Powers defeated Juanita Charles, Doyle Clark, and David Cutting in the special general election for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on April 23, 2019.
Democratic primary electionSpecial Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22Juanita Charles advanced from the special Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on March 7, 2019.
Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22Bill Powers defeated Jeff Burkhart, Betty Burchett, and Jason Knight in the special Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on March 7, 2019.
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December 19, 2019
Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 77 of the Tennessee House of Representatives was called for December 19, 2019. The primary was held on November 5, 2019. Candidates wishing to run in this election were required to file by September 26, 2019.[5] The seat became vacant after Bill Sanderson (R) resigned his seat on July 24, 2019, citing family and business demands.[6] Casey Hood (R) was appointed as an interim representative by the Obion County Commission, serving until the special election was held for a permanent representative.[7] General electionSpecial general election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77Rusty Grills defeated Michael Smith, Max Smith, Ronnie Henley, and Billy Jones in the special general election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 on December 19, 2019.
Democratic primary electionSpecial Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77Michael Smith advanced from the special Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 on November 5, 2019.
Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77Rusty Grills defeated incumbent Casey Hood, Bob Kirk, and Vanedda Webb in the special Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 77 on November 5, 2019.
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The following state legislative candidates responded to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click candidate names to read their answers.
Tennessee State Senate District 22
Special elections throughout the country
In 2019, 77 state legislative special elections were held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
Breakdown of 2019 special elections
In 2019, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:
- 47 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 21 due to a retirement
- 6 due to the death of the incumbent
- 1 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
- 2 due to an election being rerun
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 39 Democratic seats
- 38 Republican seats
As of December 11th, 2024, Republicans controlled 55.46% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.62%. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 41 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions.
Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Legislative chamber | Other | Vacant | ||||||
State senates | 829 | 1,122 | 3 | 19 | ||||
State houses | 2,393 | 2,974 | 19 | 27 | ||||
Total: | 3,222
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4,096
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22
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46 |
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2019. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2018, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2017 and 2018, Democrats had a net gain of 19 seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.
Partisan Change from Special Elections (2019) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
Democratic Party | 39 | 36 | |
Republican Party | 38 | 40 | |
Independent | 0 | 1 | |
Total | 77 | 77 |
Flipped seats
In 2019, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
- Minnesota State Senate District 11 (February 5)
- Connecticut State Senate District 6 (February 26)
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 99 (February 26)
- Kentucky State Senate District 31 (March 5)
- New Jersey State Senate District 1 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to D
- Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 (April 2)
- Missouri House of Representatives District 99 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to I
State profile
- See also: Tennessee and Tennessee elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Tennessee voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Tennessee were Republican.
- Tennessee had two Democratic and seven Republican U.S. Representatives.
State executives
- Republicans held six of Tennessee's 18 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- Tennessee's governor was Republican Bill Lee.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the Tennessee State Senate with a 28-5 majority.
- Republicans controlled the Tennessee House of Representatives with a 73-26 majority.
Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2024
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Senate | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
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Demographic data for Tennessee | ||
---|---|---|
Tennessee | U.S. | |
Total population: | 6,595,056 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 41,235 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 16.8% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 1.6% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 4.9% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 85.5% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 24.9% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $45,219 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 21.4% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Tennessee. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2019
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- Tennessee State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee Legislature, "Tennessee Constitution," accessed May 22, 2014 (Article II, Section 15)
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Key Dates for Tennessee Senate District 32 Special Primary and General Elections," accessed December 12, 2018
- ↑ Congress.gov, "PN1419 — Mark Saalfield Norris Sr. — The Judiciary," accessed October 14, 2018
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Key Dates for Tennessee Senate District 22 Special Primary and General Elections," accessed January 24, 2019
- ↑ Thunderbolt Broadcasting, "Special Elections Set for District 77," accessed September 10, 2019
- ↑ Tennessean, "Rep. Bill Sanderson to resign from legislature, citing family and business demands," July 23, 2019
- ↑ NWTN Today, "Interim Rep Named," September 6, 2019
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