Underdog Tennessee GOP gubernatorial primary
U.S. Rep. Diane Black, who had the endorsement of Vice President Mike Pence, was the clear favorite in the race. Former state economic development chief Randy Boyd, who had the backing of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, was widely considered Black’s chief rival.
But President Trump, who has a 56 percent approval rating in Tennessee, stopped short of endorsing any candidate in the race, including Black — despite keeping her by his side and praising her at several events.
Lee, a businessman whose poll numbers surged dramatically in the last week of the campaign, took advantage of infighting among his rivals, as he traveled the state and touted his Christian values while Boyd and Black sparred.
On the eve of the primary vote, supporters of Black’s campaign, perhaps realizing the threat posed by Lee’s insurgent candidacy, released an attack advertisement suggesting Lee’s company had terminated an employee and Army National Guard member for being deployed.
Lee strongly denied the allegations, and his company sent out a cease-and-desist letter concerning the messaging.
The top four Republican contenders for governor, including Black, Lee, Boyd, and State House Speaker Beth Harwell, spent a combined $40 million of their own personal wealth fighting over who is more devoted to Trump, setting records and underscoring the president’s continuing influence in state races. The candidates were seeking to replace the state’s term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam.
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a moderate, won the Democratic primary for the state’s governorship, defeating state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh in a mostly cordial race. But the surprising results in the Republican gubernatorial primary contest will reverberate nationally, serving as a bellwether for Trump enthusiasm and establishment influence in a state that supported the president by double digits in 2016.
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn won the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s open U.S. Senate race to replace the retiring Sen. Bob Corker, which holds major implications for Democrats’ chances for overturning the 51-49 Republican Senate majority in November.
Blackburn easily overcame minimal opposition in Thursday’s primary. She and former Gov. Phil Bredesen, who won the state’s Democratic primary on Thursday, have long looked past the primaries to their upcoming general election matchup.
Polls have shown Blackburn and Bredesen are neck-and-neck in the race, which Fox News currently assesses is a tossup. Blackburn could become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate by Tennessee voters.
She calls herself a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative” who would fight for President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Tennessee, like its southern neighbors, was once dominated by Democrats. But it hasn’t elected one to statewide office since 2006, and in 2012 Republicans secured supermajorities in both houses for the first time since Reconstruction.
Voters also decided on nominees for nine House races on Thursday.
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