Tennessee
Tennessee state House sees no major party shifts after 2024 election
Tennessee Republicans continued to hold a grip on legislative politics in Tennessee with a wave of House victories across the state Tuesday night, though it was an election night more defined by the status quo as both parties maintained their numbers in the House.
Democrats sought to capitalize on a turbulent two years in House politics and claw back a few seats from the GOP’s 75-member a supermajority in the 99-seat House. Democrats eyed bids to flip some of the five competitive seats in Knox, Montgomery, Shelby and Rutherford counties.
Republicans, meanwhile, eyed potential gains in Montgomery and Davidson counties.
In the end, none of those results materialized, for either party. Instead, each party managed to hold on to a handful of open seats.
In House District 67, incumbent Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, clung to his seat by less than 130 votes, narrowly holding off Republican challenger Jamie Pelz.
Another close race in the Montgomery County area was the House District 75 race, where first-time candidate Allie Phillips challenged incumbent Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville.
Phillips, who was inspired to run for office after a personal experience with abortion access and pregnancy loss, ran a heavy ground game and garnered substantial donations in one of the more vulnerable districts in the state.
But Burkhart was able to hold on, leading Phillips by about 700 votes as of 9:30 p.m., maintaing the seat for Republicans.
In Nashville’s House District 60, gun safety advocate Shaundelle Brooks narrowly defeated former Republican legislative aide Chad Bobo, who received financial backing from more than a dozen sitting GOP lawmakers in an effort to flip the open Davidson County seat.
Brooks led with about 55% of the vote to Bobo’s 45%.
Here’s a look at other contested legislative races, according to unofficial results as of early Wednesday morning.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 3
Incumbent Rep. Timothy Aaron Hill, R-Blountville, won reelection against Democrat Lori Love.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 5
Incumbent Rep. David Hawk, R-Greenville, won reelection against independent candidate Rebecca Anderson.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 6
Incumbent Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray, won reelection against Democrat Brad Batt.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 7
Incumbent Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, won reelection against Democrat Sylvain Bruni.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 8
Incumbent Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, won reelection against Democrat Sue Dubois.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, won reelection against Democrat Justin Gross.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 12
Republican Fred Atchley beat out Democrat Leslie Braddock to win the open seat vacated by Rep. Dale Carr, R-Sevierville.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 13
Incumbent Rep. Robert Stevens, R-Smyrna, handily defeated Democrat Jonathan Yancey in the District 13 race. Stevens, who previously served on the Rutherford County Commission, won a second term in the state legislature.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 14
Incumbent Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, beat Democrat Amanda Collins.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 15
Incumbent Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, beat Republican Justin Hirst.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Rep. Michele Carringer, R-Knoxville, won reelection against Democrat Lauren Carver.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, won reelection against Democrat Bryan Goldberg.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 20
Republican Tom Stinnett won election against Democrat Karen Gertz in the open seat, which was vacated by Rep. Bryan Richey, R-Maryville, when he launched a failed state Senate bid.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, defeated Democrat Kenneth Moore.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 22
Incumbent Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, won reelection against Democrat Anna Grabowski.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 23
Incumbent Rep. Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, won reelection against Democrat David Thomforde.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 24
Incumbent Rep. Kevin Raper, R-Cleveland, won reelection against Democrat Andrea Chase.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 25
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, won reelection against Democrat Wesley Adkins.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 26
Incumbent Rep. Greg Martin won reelection against Democrat Allison Gorman.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 27
Michele Reneau, a Republican who toppled the seat’s incumbent in the primary, beat out Kathy Lennon.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 28
Incumbent Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, won reelection against independent candidate Thomas Brooks.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 29
Incumbent Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, defeated Democrat Ryan Scofield to win reelection.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 30
Incumbent Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Ridge, won reelection against Democrat Heather McClendon.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 31
Incumbent Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, defeated Democrat Brittany Lynn Warfel and independent William Jenkins to win reelection.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 33
Republican Rick Scarbrough beat Democrat Anne Backus for the seat, previously held by Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 34
Incumbent Rep. Time Rudd, R-Mrufreesboro, beat Democrat Amelia Pant in the House District 34 race. Rudd has served in the legislature since 2017.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, won reelection Tuesday against Democrat Lexi Melton. Slater, a dean at a private Christian college in Gallatin, is a voucher support and a self-described “pro-life” legislator.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 37
Incumbent Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, won a fourth term over Democrat Cheri Brown.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 38
Incumbent Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown, won reelection against independent candidate Alexander Armor.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Rep. Iris Rudder, R-Winchester, defeated Democrat Rose Mary Drake to win reelection.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Rep. Michale Hale, R-Smithville, defeated Democrat Daniel Hawthorne to win reelection.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 41
Incumbent Rep. Ed Butler, R-Rickman, defeated Democrat Joel Derek Hawn to win reelection.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 42
Incumbent Rep. Ryan Williams, R- Cookeville, won reelection against Democrat Amber Taylor.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 44
House Majority Leader and incumbent Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, won reelection against Democrat Brian Robertson in House District 44. Lamberth, among the most influential members of the GOP caucus, will likely sponsor Gov. Bill Lee’s statewide voucher proposal next year.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 45
Incumbent Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, won reelection against Democrat Alison Beale in House District 45. Garrett, the House majority whip, has served in the legislature since 2019.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 46
Incumbent Rep. Clark Boyd, R-Lebanon, won reelection for a fourth term against Democrat Joni Cochran.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Rep. Rush Bricken, R-Tullahoma, won reelection against independent Veronica Owens.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 48
Incumbent Rep. Bryan Terry, R-Murfreesboro, won reelection against Democrat Matt Ferry.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 49
Incumbent Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, won reelection against Democrat Luis Mata.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 50
Incumbent Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, won reelection against Republican challenger and Metro Council member Jennifer Frensley Webb.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 51
Incumbent Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, handily won reelection for her second term in a race without a Republican challenger. An independent candidate, Jeff Ketelsen, did not have a significant campaign presence.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 52
Incumbent Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, won reelection to his Davidson County seat against Republican challenger Laura Nelson.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, won reelection to his seventh term against Republican Yog Nepal and independent candidate Rueben Dockery.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 57
Incumbent Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, won reelection against Democrat Ailina Carona.
Tennessee State House of Representatives District 60
In the rare open seat this cycle, gun safety reform advocate Shaundelle Brooks, a Democrat, narrowly beat out Republican and former legislative aide Chad Bobo. The seat was vacated by Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Nashville, who is transitioning to a new job with Metro Nashville.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 61
Incumbent Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, won reelection to his second term in the House against Democrat Clair Jones and independent Alana LeBlanc.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 63
Incumbent Rep. Jake McCalmon, R-Franklin, won reelection to a second term against Franklin physician Dr. Laura Andreson, a Democrat.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 64
Incumbent Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, handily won reelection against Democrat Eileen Longstreet.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 65
Real estate lawyer Lee Reeves, a Republican, picked up House District 65 against Democrat LaRhonda Williams. The Williamson County district was an open seat following the retirement of Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 66
Incumbent Rep. Sabi Kumar, R-Springfield, won reelection against Democrat Elizabeth Webb and independent candidate Kevin Mead.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 67
Incumbent Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, won a very narrow victory against Republican Jamie Dean Peltz.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 68
Republican Aron Maberry, a Clarksville-Montgomery County school board member and Clarksville pastor, was elected in House District 68, a seat left open by the retirement of Rep. Curtis Johnson, R-Clarksville.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 70
Incumbent Rep. Clay Doggett, R-Pulaski, won reelection against Democrat Jason Luttrell.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 71
Incumbent Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown, won reelection against Democrat Tim Coy.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 75
Incumbent Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville, won a second term in a close race against Democrat Allie Phillips.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 76
Incumbent Rep. Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield, won reelection against independent candidate James Hart.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 78
Incumbent Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, won reelection over Democrat Deborah Castle Doyle. Littleton currently chairs the Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee and is a frequent sponsor of legislation on divisive cultural issues, like a bill this year that codified protections for anti-LGBTQ foster parents.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 80
Incumbent Rep. Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar, won reelection against Republican challenger Brad Grantham.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 83
Incumbent Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, held the lead early Wednesday against Democratic challenger Noah Nordstrom.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 86
Incumbent Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, won reelection against independent candidate Jeff Johnston.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 88
Incumbent Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis, won reelection against Republican Larry Hunter.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 89
Incumbent Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, won reelection against Democrat Cary Hammond.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 92
Incumbent Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, won reelection over Democrat Teri Mai in District 92.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 93
Incumbent Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, won reelection against Republican Renarda Renee Clariett.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 94
Incumbent Rep. Ron Gant, R-Piperton, won reelection against Democrat Terry Saine.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 97
Incumbent Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, held the lead early Wednesday against against Democrat Jess Huseth.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 98
Incumbent Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, won reelection against Republican Cecil Hale.
Tennessee House of Representatives District 99
Incumbent Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington, won a decisive reelection victory against independent candidate William Mouzon.
When Tennessee baseball players arrived at the clubhouse at Lindsey Nelson Stadium early on April 24, they weren’t thinking about the upcoming grind of a doubleheader against No. 15 Alabama.
They weren’t fixated on the 12-8 loss to the Tide in the first game of the series a day earlier. They weren’t stressed about what a series loss could mean for their postseason future.
The Vols were too busy “jamming” to rapper NBA YoungBoy, according to starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns.
That loose mentality translated into a cascading offensive downpour and stringent defensive outing as Tennessee (29-15, 10-11 SEC) cruised to big wins over the Tide (29-29-16, 10-11) on both ends of the doubleheader.
Tennessee run-ruled Alabama in eight innings, 10-0, charged by another exceptional performance from Kuhns. Hours later, the Vols posted their second double-digit scoring performance with an 11-4 win.
Tennessee coach Josh Elander believes his young team is learning from facing adversity.
“We’ve been in that spot because we haven’t won on Friday night,” he said. “We need to be better on Fridays, but we’ve been in these scenarios where your back is against the wall and you’ve got to figure out what you’ve got. You can play tight and tense and try hard, or you can just cut it loose and play baseball.”
Tennessee hosts West Georgia at home on April 28 (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) before continuing SEC play at Kentucky from May 1-3.
Here’s what we learned about Tennessee baseball after its Alabama series victory.
Offense responded to Josh Elander’s challenge
After Tennessee’s first two losses in its last series against Ole Miss, Elander challenged the team to reflect on the offensive woes. The Vols scored four runs in the first game, yet barely escaped a shutout with a single run in Game 2.
Tennessee closed the series with a 13-5 win on April 19. The success carried over into the Alabama series with a total of 29 runs. Even in Game 1, the Vols logged eight runs.
“Better swings, nothing crazy,” Elander said about what’s changed with the offense. “It’s not like we’re taking batting practice differently or doing our scouting reports differently … I think our guys, as they continue to see more SEC high level stuff, they just slow down and are able to navigate at-bats a little better or the moment a little bit better when the crowd gets going.
“I think they’re just settling in. That’s what we need down the stretch. I know we’re past the three quarter way in the year. I’ve always felt confident in this offense, I know they’re capable and they need to continue to be consistent.”
Designated hitter Trent Grindlinger certainly settled in against Alabama. The Tide had no answer for the freshman, who had a combined five hits and two home runs in the doubleheader.
Elander called Grindlinger’s performance “rare.” Outfielder Blaine Brown is getting used to it.
“Trent, he works hard,” Brown said. “Nothing he did today surprised me at all. That’s just what I know he can do.”
Brown also had a big performance with two home runs in Game 3.
“We like that Blaine,” Elander said. “We’d like to see some more of him.”
Tegan Kuhns continues to showcase MLB talent
Kuhns claimed he wasn’t upset about the eight inning run-rule cutting off his path to a full game shutout. Regardless of how he felt, Alabama hitters were definitely frustrated trying to score against the sophomore pitcher.
In eight pitched innings, he struck out nine, allowed only three hits and a walk with no earned runs.
“I was just ready to set the tone,” Kuhns said. “I feel like the guys needed it. They needed a better start out of a starter, and I just did that for them.”
Starting pitching is good, for the most part
Left-hander Evan Blanco continued to be a “pro” for the Vols in Game 3. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, but countered with a season-high nine strikeouts.
Blanco wasn’t as close to a flawless performance like Kuhns. However, he provided six solid innings and prevented Tennessee from reaching into its bullpen early.
That’s exactly what happened in Game 1. Starting right-hander Landon Mack was off his game at the beginning, and it lingered through his 2 1/3 innings pitched. After he pelted an Alabama hitter in the helmet with a fastball, Elander took him out.
“On Friday night, you need length from your starter,” Elander said on April 23. “You’ve got to be careful with the bullpen, especially with the weather that we’re looking at coming in. When he hit that guy in the head − I hope that guy’s OK − that was a clear indicator that we needed to get him out of the game.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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Tennessee basketball has fortified its defense with a commitment from Kennesaw State forward Braedan Lue.
Lue announced his decision on Instagram on April 24, writing “Still Me Different City.”
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Lue with two years of eligibility remaining. He spent his first two seasons at Kennesaw State and was an immediate starter, starting in 66 of 68 games for the Owls.
Last season, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals. He shot 45.% from the field and 26.7% from 3 on 2.5 attemtps.
Lue was the third-leading scorer and one of the top defenders for a Kennesaw State team that won the CUSA championship and made the Men’s NCAA Tournament. The Owls lost to Gonzaga in the first round, 73-64.
The sophomore provides much-needed depth to the Tennessee front court. The Vols only had freshman forward DeWayne Brown II and Loyola (Chicago) transfer center Miles Rubin in the rotation. Lue also adds some defense in an otherwise offense-heavy portal class that included Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade, Cal guard Dai Dai Ames, Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson and VCU guard Terrence Hill.
Lue was an unranked prospect out of Alexander High School in Douglasville, Georgia, but he received power conference offers from California and Penn State before committing to Kennesaw State.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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Alabama did not play a great game of baseball on Thursday night in Knoxville. The Crimson Tide stranded 12 runners, committed a costly error, and gave up eight runs against the Volunteers. None of it mattered, as Tennessee played even sloppier, giving up 16 free passes as Alabama ran away with a 12-8 win.
“Really proud of just the way they fought, the way they competed,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “There were some really tough at-bats. I know they walked us, it seemed like 20 times, but, man, there were some very hard-fought walks.”
Bryce Fowler had a massive day for the Crimson Tide, breaking out of a recent slump by hitting three doubles and driving in three runs. He was moved out of the leadoff spot for just the second time this season, and batted cleanup instead. His first RBI came in the top of the first, driving in Justin Lebron, who had walked to lead off the game.
Alabama ended up loading the bases in the opening frame, but failed to put up a crooked number as Jason Torres struck out to strand the three runners. Tennessee responded in the bottom of the inning, as a leadoff home run from Garrett Wright set the tone for what would be a back-and-forth game through the early innings.
Blake Grimmer drove in a second run to put the Volunteers ahead in the first, but the Crimson Tide tied it back up in the second on, of all things, a balk.
Wright then hit a second home run in the second to tie the game. Tyler Fay did not have his best game on the mound, giving up four runs over five innings while striking out six. He still earned the win, as the Crimson Tide added three runs in the third off a bases-clearing Peyton Steele double to pull ahead.
Wright drove in his third and final run of the day in the fifth inning, before Eric Hines demolished a baseball in the sixth, hitting a three-run homer 427 feet and out of the park. Tennessee continued to stay in striking distance, as Henry Ford responded with a two-run blast in the next frame, cutting Alabama’s lead to 9-6.
Tennessee’s bullpen imploded in the seventh. After Andrew Purdy flied out to start the inning, Peyton Steele drew a walk and then three straight Alabama batters were plunked. The third, Brady Neal, brought home Steele for the 10th run. Fowler then drew an insane 13-pitch walk that summed up the day for both sides — Tennessee’s control issues and Alabama’s plate discipline.
Hines was then hit with the bases loaded, meaning that all three of Alabama’s seventh-inning runs came on free passes. The Crimson Tide ended the game with 16 free passes and six batters hit, both the second most of the season for the team. Tennessee added two runs in the bottom of the inning, putting the game at its final score of 12-8.
The near-four-hour game was not Alabama’s prettiest performance. Lebron had a defensive error that contributed to one of Tennessee’s runs, and now sits at 16 on the season, doubling his 2025 total. Runners stranded also continue to be an issue for an Alabama team that left runners in scoring position in five innings. The biggest concern at the moment is the status of Justin Osterhouse, who appeared to injure his leg while stretching in the on-deck circle.
“I didn’t know if he slipped, I didn’t know what happened,” Vaughn said. “I thought maybe he was cramping, but that he was just stretching like he always does, and just something in his lower half, I don’t know if it’s hamstring, hip, I’ll get a better read from Stryker after this.”
Alabama and Tennessee will play a double-header on Friday, as inclement weather is expected in Knoxville on Saturday. The first game is set for a 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch, with game two beginning 30 minutes after its conclusion.
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