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Political party strength in Tennessee

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Tennessee's politics are currently dominated by the Republican Party.[1][2] Republicans currently hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, a majority of Congressional seats, and the state legislature. Democratic strength is largely concentrated in Nashville, Memphis, and parts of Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, and Jackson. Several suburban areas of Nashville and Memphis also contain significant Democratic minorities.

Table

[edit]

The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Tennessee:

The table also indicates the historical party composition in the:

For years in which a presidential election was held, the table indicates which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.

Year Executive office State Legislature United States Congress Electoral College votes
Governor State Senate State House U.S. Senator (Class I) U.S. Senator (Class II) U.S. House
1790 William Blount (DR)[a] [?] [?] James White (DR)[b]
1791
1792
1793
1794 DR majority [?]
1795 [?]
1796 John Sevier (DR) [?] [?] William Cocke (DR) William Blount (DR)[c] Andrew Jackson (DR) Thomas Jefferson/
Aaron Burr (DR) Red XN
1797 [?]
Andrew Jackson (DR)[d] Joseph Anderson (DR) William C. C.
Claiborne (DR)
1798 DR majority [?]
Daniel Smith (DR)
1799 [?] DR majority Joseph Anderson (DR) William Cocke (DR)
1800 Thomas Jefferson/
Aaron Burr (DR) Green tickY
1801 Archibald Roane (DR) [?] DR majority William Dickson (DR)
1802
1803 John Sevier (DR) [?] [?] 3DR
1804 Thomas Jefferson/
George Clinton (DR) Green tickY
1805 DR majority DR majority Daniel Smith (DR)
1806
1807 DR majority [?]
1808 James Madison/
George Clinton (DR) Green tickY
1809 Willie Blount (DR) DR majority F majority
Jenkin Whiteside (DR)
1810
1811 DR majority DR majority
George W. Campbell (DR)[e]
1812 James Madison/
Elbridge Gerry (DR) Green tickY
1813 DR majority DR majority 6DR
1814 Jesse Wharton (DR)
1815 Joseph McMinn (DR) DR majority DR majority George W. Campbell (DR)
John Williams (DR)
1816 James Monroe/
Daniel D. Tompkins (DR) Green tickY
1817 DR majority DR majority
1818
John Eaton (DR)
1819 DR majority DR majority
1820
1821 William Carroll (DR) DR majority DR majority 5DR, 1 vac.
1822
1823 DR majority DR majority Andrew Jackson (DR)[d] 9DR
1824 Andrew Jackson Red XN /
John C. Calhoun Green tickY (DR)
1825 NR majority [?] John Eaton (J)[f] Andrew Jackson (J) 9J
Hugh Lawson White (J)
1826
1827 Sam Houston (DR)[d] J majority [?] 8J, 1NR
1828 Andrew Jackson/
John C. Calhoun (D) Green tickY
1829 NR majority
William Hall (D) NR majority Felix Grundy (J)[g]
William Carroll (D)
1830
1831 NR majority J majority
1832 Andrew Jackson/
Martin Van Buren (D) Green tickY
1833 J majority J majority 12J, 1NR
1834
1835 Newton Cannon (W) NR majority J majority Hugh Lawson White (NR) 9NR, 4J
1836 NR majority NR majority Hugh Lawson White/
John Tyler (W) Red XN
1837 Felix Grundy (D) Hugh Lawson White (W)[d] 10W, 3D
1838 18W, 7D 46W, 25D, 4? vacant
Ephraim H. Foster (W)
1839 James K. Polk (D) Felix Grundy (D)[h] 7W, 6D
1840 14D, 11W 42D, 33W Alexander O. Anderson (D) William Henry Harrison/
John Tyler (W) Green tickY
1841 James C. Jones (W) Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) vacant 8W, 5D
1842 13D, 12W 39W, 36D
1843 Ephraim H. Foster (W) Spencer Jarnagin (W) 6D, 5W
1844 14W, 11D 40W, 35D Henry Clay/
Theodore Frelinghuysen (W) Red XN
1845 Aaron V. Brown (D) Hopkins L. Turney (D)
1846 13D, 12W 39D, 36W
1847 Neill S. Brown (W) John Bell (W)
1848 13W, 12D 41W, 34D Zachary Taylor/
Millard Fillmore (W) Green tickY
1849 William Trousdale (D) 7D, 4W
1850 14D, 11W 39D, 36W
1851 William B. Campbell (W) James C. Jones (W)
1852 16W, 9D 39W, 36D Winfield Scott/
William Alexander Graham (W) Red XN
1853 Andrew Johnson (D) 5D, 5W
1854 13D, 12KN 44W, 31D 6W, 4D
1855 5D, 5KN
1856 14KN, 11D 38KN, 37D James Buchanan/
John C. Breckinridge (D) Green tickY
1857 Isham G. Harris (D) Andrew Johnson (D) John Bell (KN) 7D, 3KN
1858 18D, 7KN 42D, 33KN
1859 Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) 7O, 3D
1860 14D, 11O 41D, 34O John Bell/
Edward Everett (CU) Red XN
1861 3U, 7 vac.
1862 American Civil War
Andrew Johnson
(U/Military) 		American Civil War
1863
1864 Abraham Lincoln/
Andrew Johnson (NU) Green tickY
1865 Edward H. East (R)[i]
Parson Brownlow (R)
1866 25R 79R, 4D David T. Patterson (U) Joseph S. Fowler (U) 8U
1867 David T. Patterson (D) Joseph S. Fowler (R) 8R
1868 83R Ulysses S. Grant/
Schuyler Colfax (R) Green tickY
1869 Dewitt Clinton Senter (R) Parson Brownlow (R)
1870 20D, 5R 66D, 17R
1871 John C. Brown (D) 22D, 3R 63D, 12R Henry Cooper (D) 6D, 2R
1872 Thomas A. Hendricks/
B. Gratz Brown (D) Red XN
1873 18D, 7R 49D, 26R 7R, 3D
1874
1875 James D. Porter (D) 23D, 2R 70D, 5R Andrew Johnson (D)[h] 9D, 1R
David M. Key (D)
1876 Samuel J. Tilden/
Thomas A. Hendricks (D) Red XN
1877 20D, 5R 59D, 16R James E. Bailey (D) Isham G. Harris (D)[h] 8D, 2R
1878
1879 Albert S. Marks (D) 22D, 3R 61D, 14R 9D, 1R
1880 Winfield Scott Hancock and
William Hayden English (D) Red XN
1881 Alvin Hawkins (R) 15D, 10R 37R, 37D, 1GB[j] Howell E. Jackson (D)[k] 7D, 3R
1882
1883 William B. Bate (D) 27D, 6R 71D, 28R 8D, 2R
1884 Grover Cleveland/
Thomas A. Hendricks (D) Green tickY
1885 22D, 11R 81D, 18R 7D, 3R
1886
Washington C.
Whitthorne (D)
1887 Robert Love Taylor (D) 21D, 12R 63D, 36R William B. Bate (D)[h] 8D, 2R
1888 Grover Cleveland/
Allen G. Thurman (D) Red XN
1889 23D, 10R 69D, 30R 7D, 3R
1890
1891 John P. Buchanan (FA) 25D, 8R 79D, 20R 8D, 2R
1892 Grover Cleveland/
Adlai Stevenson I (D) Green tickY
1893 Peter Turney (D) 25D, 6R, 1Pop, 1I 68D, 26R, 5Pop
1894
1895 21D, 10R, 1Pop, 1U 60D, 32R, 7Pop 6D, 4R
1896 William Jennings Bryan/
Arthur Sewall (D) Red XN
1897 Robert Love Taylor (D) 24D, 9R 63D, 32R, 4Pop 8D, 2R
Thomas B. Turley (D)
1898
1899 Benton McMillin (D) 25D, 8R 77D, 22R
1900 William Jennings Bryan/
Adlai Stevenson I (D) Red XN
1901 27D, 5R, 1ID 76D, 23R Edward W. Carmack (D)
1902
1903 James B. Frazier (D)[l] 28D, 5R 83D, 16R
1904 Alton B. Parker/
Henry G. Davis (D) Red XN
1905 80D, 19R
John I. Cox (D) James B. Frazier (D)
1906
1907 Malcolm R. Patterson (D) 27D, 6R 78D, 21R Robert Love Taylor (D)[h]
1908 William Jennings Bryan/
John W. Kern (D) Red XN
1909 28D, 5R 77D, 22R
1910
1911 Ben W. Hooper (R) 21D, 7R, 4RD, 1I 74D, 25R Luke Lea (D)
1912 Newell Sanders (R) Woodrow Wilson/
Thomas R. Marshall (D) Green tickY
1913 16D, 6R, 6RD, 5ID 52D, 27R, 20I William R. Webb (D)
John K. Shields (D)
1914
1915 Thomas Clark Rye (D) 26D, 7R 72D, 27R
1916
1917 27D, 6R Kenneth McKellar (D)
1918
1919 Albert H. Roberts (D) 26D, 7R
1920 Warren G. Harding/
Calvin Coolidge (R) Green tickY
1921 Alfred A. Taylor (R) 24D, 9R 66D, 32R, 1I 5D, 5R
1922
1923 Austin Peay (D)[h] 28D, 5R 76D, 23R 8D, 2R
1924 John W. Davis/
Charles W. Bryan (D) Red XN
1925 29D, 4R Lawrence Tyson (D)[h]
1926
1927 Henry Hollis Horton (D)[m] 28D, 5R 80D, 19R
1928 Herbert Hoover/
Charles Curtis (R) Green tickY
1929 25D, 8R 72D, 27R
William E. Brock (D)
1930
1931 28D, 5R 83D, 16R Cordell Hull (D)[n]
1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt/
John Nance Garner (D) Green tickY
1933 Hill McAlister (D) 29D, 4R 81D, 18R Nathan L. Bachman (D)[h] 7D, 2R
1934
1935 28D, 5R
1936
1937 Gordon Browning (D) 29D, 4R
George L. Berry (D)
1938
1939 Prentice Cooper (D) 83D, 16R Tom Stewart (D)
1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt/
Henry A. Wallace (D) Green tickY
1941
1942
1943 30D, 3R 78D, 20R, 1I 8D, 2R
1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt/
Harry S. Truman (D) Green tickY
1945 Jim Nance McCord (D) 28D, 5R 75D, 24R
1946
1947 29D, 4R 82D, 17R
1948 Harry S. Truman/
Alben W. Barkley (D) Green tickY
1949 Gordon Browning (D) 80D, 19R Estes Kefauver (D)[h]
1950
1951
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower/
Richard Nixon (R) Green tickY
1953 Frank G. Clement (D) 28D, 5R 81D, 18R Albert Gore Sr. (D) 7D, 2R
1954
1955 80D, 19R
1956
1957 27D, 6R 78D, 21R
1958
1959 Buford Ellington (D) 28D, 5R 82D, 17R
1960 Richard Nixon/
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R) Red XN
1961 27D, 6R 81D, 18R
1962
1963 Frank G. Clement (D) 78D, 21R Herbert S. Walters (D) 6D, 3R
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson/
Hubert Humphrey (D) Green tickY
1965 25D, 8R 74D, 25R Ross Bass (D)
1966
1967 Buford Ellington (D) 58D, 41R Howard Baker (R) 5D, 4R
1968 Richard Nixon/
Spiro Agnew (R) Green tickY
1969 20D, 13R 49R, 49D, 1I[o]
1970 21D, 12R
1971 Winfield Dunn (R) 19D, 13R, 1A 56D, 43R Bill Brock (R)
1972
1973 51D, 48R 5R, 3D
1974
1975 Ray Blanton (D) 20D, 12R, 1I 63D, 35R, 1I 5D, 3R
1976 Jimmy Carter/
Walter Mondale (D) Green tickY
1977 23D, 9R, 1I 66D, 32R, 1I Jim Sasser (D)
1978
1979 Lamar Alexander (R) 20D, 12R, 1I 60D, 38R, 1I
1980 Ronald Reagan/
George H. W. Bush (R) Green tickY
1981 58D, 39R, 2I
1982 21D, 11R, 1I
1983 60D, 38R, 1I 6D, 3R
1984 22D, 11R
1985 23D, 10R 62D, 37R Al Gore (D)[p]
1986
1987 Ned McWherter (D) 61D, 38R
1988 George H. W. Bush/
Dan Quayle (R) Green tickY
1989 22D, 11R 59D, 40R
1990
1991 20D, 13R 55D, 44R
1992 Bill Clinton/
Al Gore (D) Green tickY
1993 19D, 14R 64D, 35R Harlan Mathews (D)[q]
1994
Fred Thompson (R)[r]
1995 Don Sundquist (R) 18D, 15R 59D, 40R Bill Frist (R) 5R, 4D
1996 17R, 16D[s]
1997 18D, 15R 61D, 38R
1998
1999 59D, 40R
2000 George W. Bush/
Dick Cheney (R) Green tickY
2001 18D, 15R 58D, 41R
2002
2003 Phil Bredesen (D) 54D, 45R Lamar Alexander (R) 5D, 4R
2004
2005 17R, 16D[t] 53D, 46R
2006
2007 17R, 16D Bob Corker (R)
16R, 16D, 1I[u]
16R, 15D, 1I
16R, 16D, 1I
2008 John McCain/
Sarah Palin (R) Red XN
2009 19R, 14D 50R, 49D
49R, 49D, 1CCR[v]
2010 50R, 48D, 1I
2011 Bill Haslam (R) 20R, 13D 64R, 34D, 1I 7R, 2D
2012 Mitt Romney/
Paul Ryan (R) Red XN
2013 26R, 7D 71R, 27D, 1I
2014
2015 28R, 5D 73R, 26D
2016 Donald Trump/
Mike Pence (R) Green tickY
2017 74R, 25D
2018
2019 Bill Lee (R) 73R, 26D Marsha Blackburn (R)
2020 Donald Trump/
Mike Pence (R) Red XN
2021 27R, 6D Bill Hagerty (R)
2022
2023 75R, 24D 8R, 1D
2024 Donald Trump/
JD Vance (R) Green tickY


Year Governor State Senate State House U.S. Senator (Class I) U.S. Senator (Class II) U.S. House Electoral College votes
Executive office State Legislature United States Congress
Key to party colors and abbreviations for members of the U.S. Congress and other politicians or officials
Alaskan Independence (AKIP)
Know Nothing (KN)
American Labor (AL)
Anti-Jacksonian (Anti-J)
National Republican (NR)
Anti-Administration (AA)
Anti-Masonic (Anti-M)
Conservative (Con)
Covenant (Cov)
Democratic (D)
Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL)
Democratic–NPL (D-NPL)
Dixiecrat (Dix),
States' Rights (SR)
Democratic-Republican (DR)
Farmer–Labor (FL)
Federalist (F)
Pro-Administration (PA)
Free Soil (FS)
Fusion (Fus)
Greenback (GB)
Independence (IPM)
Independent Democrat (ID)
Independent Republican (IR)
Jacksonian (J)
Liberal (Lib)
Libertarian (L)
National Union (NU)
Nonpartisan League (NPL)
Nullifier (N)
Opposition Northern (O)
Opposition Southern (O)
Populist (Pop)
Progressive (Prog)
Prohibition (Proh)
Readjuster (Rea)
Republican (R)
Silver (Sv)
Silver Republican (SvR)
Socialist (Soc)
Union (U)
Unconditional Union (UU)
Vermont Progressive (VP)
Whig (W)
Independent (I)
Nonpartisan (NP)
  1. ^ Governor of Southwest Territory.
  2. ^ Delegate from Southwest Territory.
  3. ^ Expelled from the United States Senate for conspiring with the British to seize West Florida from Spain.
  4. ^ a b c d Resigned.
  5. ^ Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury.
  6. ^ Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of War.
  7. ^ Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Died in office.
  9. ^ Served as secretary of state of Tennessee from 1862 until 1865, having been appointed by Andrew Johnson, the military governor of the state under Union occupation during the American Civil War. After Johnson was inaugurated as vice president of the United States on March 4, 1865, East became "Acting Governor of Tennessee" until Parson Brownlow, the elected governor of Tennessee, was inaugurated on April 5, 1865. The official Tennessee Blue Book does not include East in its list of former Governors.
  10. ^ The Greenback member supported the Republicans in the vote for Speaker, giving them control of the chamber.
  11. ^ Resigned to take seat on the United States Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit.
  12. ^ Resigned to take seat in the United States Senate.
  13. ^ Assumed office upon the death of his predecessor.
  14. ^ Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State.
  15. ^ The Independent and one Democrat supported Republican Bill Jenkins in the vote for Speaker, giving the Republicans control for the only time in the 20th Century.[3]
  16. ^ Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States.
  17. ^ Appointed to fill a vacancy.
  18. ^ First elected in special election.
  19. ^ Two Democratic Senators switched parties to Republican, giving the Republicans control.
  20. ^ Re-elected John Shelton Wilder, a Democrat, to the Senate Speaker position as a minority-party Speaker.
  21. ^ Senator Micheal R. Williams left the Republican party to become an Independent.[4]
  22. ^ On February 10, 2009, the executive committee of the Tennessee Republican Party voted to strip Speaker of the House Kent Williams of his party affiliation after he colluded with Democrats to be elected speaker. Williams chose "Carter County Republican" as his new party designation.

Political History of Tennessee

[edit]

Pre-Civil War

[edit]

In 1789, the new United States designated this area as the "Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio."[5] Even though Tennessee was not yet a state, some government was organized to administer the territory. William Blount was appointed as the first official governor of Tennessee, James White became the state's first representative in Congress, and Tennessee's political party history under European Americans was started. The majority party in Tennessee began as the Democratic-Republican party and operated until 1828. That year it was dissolved and the Democratic Party was formed.[6]

From 1828, control of Tennessee state government alternated initially between the Democratic Party and the on. Whig Party in opposition. It later became the Republican Party, shortly before the American Civil War began in 1861. While these two parties fought for the majority during these years, the Know-Nothing Party, Unionist Party, and Constitutional Party were also active in the state. Their representatives were elected to state government, but did not dominate it. The politics of Middle and Western Tennessee were dominated by planters and slaveholders, especially the major planters in the western Delta area of Memphis and environs near the Mississippi River. Overseeing a large population of enslaved African Americans, planters voted to secede at the time of the Civil War in order to protect slavery, which was profitable for them and the commodity crop of cotton. Eastern Tennessee, by contrast, had a population with higher representation of white yeomen and subsistence farmers and artisans. They supported the Union during the Civil War and resisted secession.

Civil War to WWII

[edit]

From the Civil War until World War II, Tennessee was controlled by the Democratic Party, made up of conservative whites in the state, especially of the planter and former slaveholding class. Together with other white Democratic Southerners in Congress, they formed a voting block known as the Solid South. Based on the seniority rules of the time and their virtually unrestricted control of seats from Southern states by having disenfranchised most African American at the turn of the century, senior Congressmen and Senators from the South controlled chairmanships of important committees, strongly influencing national policy. During the Great Depression, they limited benefits for African Americans in the South.

World War II to present day

[edit]

During the period from 1939 until about 1970, the conservative whites of the Democratic party in Tennessee largely controlled the state politically. A minority of Republican voters were dominant in the eastern part of the state, which had favored the Union during the Civil War. But the state had been more competitive between its two parties than others in the South, as more blacks had retained their ability to vote and supported the Republican Party into the early 20th century.[7][page needed]

In 1976, Tennessee voted for Democrat Jimmy Carter of neighboring Georgia, a "favorite son" of the South. Similarly, in 1992 and 1996, Tennessee voted for the Democratic ticket of Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Al Gore, a US senator from Tennessee, both sons of the South. But in 2000, Tennessee voted for Republican George W. Bush over Al Gore by single digit margins. Since 2000, Tennessee has become a Republican stronghold, voting increasingly Republican in all following elections.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Doble, Rob (December 24, 2020). "Analysis: The polarization express". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  2. ^ Clouse, Allie (November 6, 2020). "As Georgia becomes a blue wedge in the Deep South, Tennessee cleaves tighter to the GOP". Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Booker shook things up in 69 Knoxville News-Sentinel
  4. ^ Whitehouse, Ken (14 March 2007). "GOP State Senator bolts party". Nashville Post. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. ^ "From Territory to State | Tennessee Secretary of State". sos.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  6. ^ "Democratic Party". History.com. 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  7. ^ Dickey, John (December 2016). "The Decline of Agriculture and the Rise of Republican Party Strength in the South". University of Tennessee, Knoxville: 130.
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