Republican state Sen. Brian Kelsey is leading Democratic challenger Gabby Salinas by a wide margin in a recent state employees union poll with a heavy dose of GOP voters.

The second and final weekend of early voting brought the Democratic and Republican contenders for Tennessee governor to Shelby County as well as Democratic Senate nominee Phil Bredesen.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee presents himself as a political “outsider.” He’s never run for public office, and he says he’s “never worked for the government.”

Tennessee’s gubernatorial candidates won’t commit to Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to buy laptops for Tennessee students - at an unspecified cost - in an effort to prepare them for the end-of-year test called TNReady.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean is taking a jab at Republican frontrunner Bill Lee on vouchers, calling him an “extreme” candidate whose policies would hurt public education.

Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins, responding to questions from Memphis state lawmakers, says county election offices are encountering duplicate voter registrations and other problem applications amid record numbers of voter sign-ups for the mid-term election Nov. 6.

The Tennessee Black Voter Project – reviewing voter registration applications in Memphis – believes the Shelby County Election Commission is violating state and federal law and demands changes be made before Election Day Nov. 6.

The race for an open U.S. Senate seat pits a self-declared moderate against a fire-brand conservative, and the legislative careers of former Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn back up those definitions in a big-money battle that could swing Senate control.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, after 15 months of waiting for confirmation to a U.S. District Court judgeship, is finding the move to a new position simultaneously “inspirational and motivational.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee is set to honor state Rep. Johnnie Turner of Memphis with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s 50th anniversary fundraiser, The Constitution Uncorked.

Three Memphis legislators are questioning the secretary of state about voter registration results, the number of people whose applications have been denied and alleged scams reported by the state office amid a wave of voting interest for the 2018 elections.

Tens of thousands of Tennesseans whose licenses were suspended because they were too poor to pay court debt won a major victory this week when a judge ruled in their favor against the state.

Former governor Phil Bredesen, finding common ground with Trump Republicans, is proposing a method for reducing pharmaceutical prices by using the president’s negotiating skills to cut a deal with drug companies.

Shelby County voters begin casting ballots in the last election of 2018 Wednesday, Oct. 17, as early voting opens before the Nov. 6 election day. The 27 early voting sites across Shelby County are all open from Wednesday through Nov. 1. The midterm general election cycle typically sees a higher turnout than the August county general and state and federal primary elections.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee didn’t exactly shock anyone by saying he would fight legislative efforts to legalize sports gambling in Tennessee.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, newly appointed to a U.S. District Court judgeship, confirmed Tuesday he won’t be able to resign his legislative seat before the Nov. 6 election, a situation that will lead to a special election for the District 32 seat and potential temporary replacement.

The U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn is deadlocked, according to an internal Bredesen poll, even though outside groups are spending heavily against the former Tennessee governor.

Shelby County’s elections administrator is guaranteeing her office will process some 33,000 new voter-registration applications before early voting starts Wednesday, after being queried by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean says he would support legislation to legalize sports betting in Tennessee, but Republican candidate Bill Lee doesn’t want to gamble on it.

Greater Memphis Chamber chairman Richard Smith says the organization welcomes input from local elected officials on the process of replacing its president and CEO, but the Chamber does not need to make it a public process.

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn’s partisan attacks appear to be trumping former governor Phil Bredesen’s moderate politics as early voting approaches for the Nov. 6 election for an open U.S. Senate seat.

Set for their final gubernatorial debate Friday night in Nashville, Republican candidate Bill Lee and Democratic candidate Karl Dean released fundraising figures showing Lee with a major edge going into the final three weeks of the campaign.

Tennessee state Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville was confirmed Thursday, Oct. 11, as a federal judge for the Western District of Tennessee.

The Shelby County Democratic Party is defending District 31 Senate candidate Gabby Salinas against an attack ad by the lieutenant governor’s PAC, calling it “false” and a “mischaracterization.”

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn committed to spending tens of billions of dollars on constructing a wall at the Southern border, while former governor Phil Bredesen called such an idea antiquated Wednesday night.