Free Republic

NASHVILLE — Republicans gained at least five seats in the state Senate Tuesday and at least two in the state House, giving the party a "super majority" in both chambers, according to unofficial election returns. By controlling two-thirds of the seats in both chambers for the first time since the Reconstruction era, Republicans would have a quorum and could continue in session even if all Democrats walk out. The two-thirds "super majority" also allows united Republicans to suspend normal rules and instantly pass legislation. Going into the election, Republicans held a 64-34 majority in the state House with one independent...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Buoyed by overflowing campaign accounts, redrawn legislative districts and an unpopular Democratic president at the top of the ticket, Tennessee Republicans are expecting to add to their already considerable advantage in the state House on Tuesday. While seven Republican incumbents were defeated in the August primaries, there is little reason to expect any spillover into the general election. Gov. Bill Haslam on Friday predicted "a good night for Republicans," with the GOP picking up supermajorities in both chambers. The two-thirds majority would give Republicans the ability to overcome any procedural challenges by Democrats, and prevent the...

NASHVILLE — Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says there's a good chance Democrats will be left with just seven seats in the Tennessee state Senate after the Nov. 6 election. House Speaker Beth Harwell's most optimistic Republican scenario has the minority party with just 24 representatives remaining. They and other Republican leaders say there's virtually no doubt that the GOP will hit a new high-water mark in the 2012 elections by gaining a two-thirds "super majority" in both chambers of the Legislature. There is considerable confidence in Republican ranks that they will go beyond that to what some are calling "a...

NASHVILLE – Tennessee's Republican establishment is striving to move past last week's sometimes bitter legislative primary and its potential impact on officeholder leadership. The aim now for fall campaigns: Slimming even more the ranks of the minority party Democrats. The prospects look fairly bright for Republicans on both fronts, despite the losses of seven incumbent House members Thursday. The defeat of those veterans — and close calls for a couple of others — are seen by some as an indication of growing division within the state's majority party and as, possibly, a threat to House Speaker Beth Harwell remaining in...

Gannett Newspaper - Link Only: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120513/NEWS02/305120065/Tennessee-GOP-tests-its-own-legislative-primaries?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

NASHVILLE — Passage of the qualifying deadline for legislative candidates last week leaves Republicans well-positioned to achieving their goal of making Democrats politically irrelevant in the 108th General Assembly that convenes next year. In part, that's because 11 incumbent Democrats — seven representatives and four senators — are voluntarily not seeking re-election. At least four more incumbent Democrats — three representatives and one senator — are certain to be ousted later because of Republican-controlled redistricting leaves incumbents running against one another in the same district. In part, the GOP advantage also rests with money. Financial disclosures filed earlier this year...

Leading in a number of national polls, Rick Santorum is moving quickly to put in place a formal campaign operation in Tennessee as the state prepares to take its turn in the fight for the GOP presidential nomination. In just the past couple of weeks, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania has opened campaign offices in Knoxville and Johnson City and has tapped Knoxville native Jon Parker as his state field director. Last weekend, volunteers manning a phone bank in Johnson City called thousands of voters across the state to firm up support for the candidate and spread his message...

A funny and sadly true video from our friends at the Tennessee Republican Party. Highlighting Joe Biden's trip to Tennessee for a fundraiser. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbodl8qvgdI

LENOIR CITY - A candidate for state representative photographed partially unclothed on a website said today the photo has been removed. Julia Hurley, 28, of Lenoir City, a Republican candidate for the 32nd Legislative District in the Aug. 5 primary, today refused to describe the photo. She also said she doesn't know who removed the photo from the website, ModelMayhem.com. "It's not my website," she said. A media report describes Hurley's pose in the photograph as "pantless" while wearing high-heel boots. Hurley disputes that description but declined to give her own depiction of it. Hurley today said the photo was...

In one of the more profound pronouncements of the gubernatorial campaign so far, Ron Ramsey declared last week that Tennessee is "an island of sanity" in a nation that is headed in a frightening direction. Then he added: "The 10th Amendment means the 10th Amendment." This remark got a "hearty round of applause" at one of those anti-Washington rallies that have come into fashion since Barack Obama moved into the White House, according to a Kingsport Times-News report on the event. As a matter of rhetorical flourish, of course, this is also reminiscent of Ramsey's predecessor at lieutenant governor and...

NASHVILLE -- State Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith today ousted new Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams from the party for voting with all 49 House Democrats last month to elect himself speaker over his party's nominee in a 50-49 vote. Williams said afterward that he still considers himself "a Carter County Republican" -- after his home county and legislative district -- and said that he's likely to run for re-election to the House next year as an independent. Under Tennessee election law, the state Republican Party is allowed to deny anyone whom it deems is not a bona fide party...

This is four minutes. Worth the time even though it doesnt seem like a professional production.