Sanford: Tennessee is red, but state is getting some love at DNC
Tennessee state Reps. Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones raise their fists in solidarity at a rally to support the reinstatement of Pearson by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners April 12, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Otis Sanford
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu. Follow him on Twitter @otissanford.
Barring a cataclysmic political shift, Tennessee will again be a nonfactor in deciding the outcome of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
The Volunteer State has been decidedly and reliably in the Republican Party column since 2000. That was the year native son and then-Vice President Al Gore lost his home state to George W. Bush 51% to 47%, an outcome that cost Gore the presidency in the closest electoral vote count since Rutherford B. Hayes was elected by a single electoral vote in 1876.
In 2004, in winning reelection, Bush improved his standing and carried Tennessee by 14 percentage points over Democrat John Kerry. Since then, Republicans have stretched their margin of victory in Tennessee to as much as 26 points, which occurred in 2016 when Donald Trump trounced Hillary Clinton, 61% to 35%.
Topics
Otis Sanford Democratic National Convention Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Otis Sanford on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Otis Sanford's stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
‘Ride for Trump’ among efforts to rally Memphis-area Republicans
Republicans are rallying forces in Shelby County, which Democrats expect to carry in November even as the state is expected to remain in the Republican column.
New polling data shows opinions on mayor, police chief
A survey of Memphis residents finds 17% don’t know who Mayor Paul Young is, and 35% have never heard of Interim Police Chief C.J. Davis.
Salinas win in state House District 96 primary could be contested
A problem on the Election Commission’s website led a state House candidate to conclude she won her race when she lost the lead in the last batch of votes by the unofficial results.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.