IIRC, TN was one of the first Vichy governments to assist the DHS in highway stop-n-searches. Go figure that from a state that brought you Gore senior and Al Gore as state Senators. Just guessing here but I’d say there is a large contingent of liberals and hangers-on due to Oak Ridge, TVA and other Federally funded institutions. Oh, and don’t forget Memphis - overtaken by Obama’s children.
Most of TN votes Republican but the GOP wasn’t the dominant party in the past, it was centered in East TN (Knoxville and Tri-Cities) back then. Those parts didn’t support the Confederacy and became GOP.
The East TN RINO Establishment of Governor Haslam, Senators Alexander and Corker etc. rules the roost of TN politics right now.