House Editor David Wasserman writes: In 2010, Tennessee was virtually ground zero for Tea Party enthusiasm and GOP takeovers. Republicans easily captured the open seats of retiring longtime Democratic Reps. Bart Gordon and John Tanner and clobbered Rep. Lincoln Davis by nearly 20 points. In the process, the GOP claimed seven of the state's nine Congressional seats and took firm control over the redistricting process, which Democrats had dictated in 2002. Republicans effectively reversed the 2002 Democratic gerrymander to shore up their gains, locking Democrats out of every seat except those in Memphis and Nashville. Now, the only real race to watch is the August 2 primary in the Chattanooga 3rd CD, where freshman GOP Rep. Chuck Fleischmann faces not one but two credible challengers.
The new map can be found here.
New District Baselines
TN-01: Phil Roe (R) – East: Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City
Solid Republican. East Tennessee is the state's biggest Republican bastion, but that doesn't mean the 1st CD hasn't seen its share of action in recent years. Low-profile state Rep. David Davis won this open
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