2022 Elections In Tennessee: Live Updates

Tennessee delegates to the DNC became some of the first to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee for president.

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Staffing polls is just one element of ensuring an election runs smoothly — and it’s not always easy.

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The two candidates running to be Nashville’s next mayor are on opposite ends of the political spectrum. But one thing they agree on is the need to increase enrollment in the city’s public school system.

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Nashville voters mostly made decisive decisions on the 40 Metro Council seats on Thursday, including 35 districts and five at-large seats.

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The data suggests that, broadly, rain may have a small impact on voters. 

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WPLN asked Nashville’s mayoral candidates questions from listeners. Here’s what they had to say on public transportation.

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Republicans made much more modest gains than they had expected on Election Day, but there were a few notable exceptions, especially in Tennessee. Here, Republicans gained a seat in Congress, kept control of the governorship and maintained their super majority in the General Assembly.

After Republican legislators redrew federal and legislative maps in January, Democrats expected it would be an uphill battle on Election Day. But Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus says while the party suffered significant losses, it now has a clear direction forward.  

“Now we see where the opportunities are, where our build districts will be, where our battlegrounds will be,” said Remus. “And it’ll give us an opportunity to adjust our strategic planning to account for that.”

The new maps will be in place until the next redistricting process in 2030. Remus says one of the biggest things they are up against is voter apathy. Voter turnout in this election was lower than the 2018 midterm election.

Nashville’s 5th District Congressman Jim Cooper is retiring at the end of his term, a decision he made after Republicans targeted his seat. But he says moving forward, winning requires finding not only new voters but persuading current ones.

“Some political activists think, ‘Oh, all you can do is mobilize your base and find all your base voters.’ Well, some of them are hard to mobilize, so are they really in our base?” questioned Cooper. “The old model of trying to persuade independent voters has largely been cast aside. I’m still a believer in that old model.”

More: Nearing retirement, Rep. Jim Cooper reflects on the future of Nashville and Democrats in Tennessee

After Cooper finishes his term, Memphis Rep. Steve Cohen will be the only Democrat left in Tennessee’s nine-member delegation.

Voter turnout in Tennessee fell substantially for the 2022 midterms, according to the as-yet-unofficial figures from the state.

The Secretary of State reports 1.76 million Tennesseans cast ballots.

Compared to the 2018 midterm — which included a pair of competitive statewide contests — that was down by about half-a-million voters. The 2022 vote tally does rank above the 2014 contest.

In terms of the share of voters who made it out, Tennessee saw a turnout of about 38.6% of registered voters. That’s slightly higher than the 2014 midterm.

County election commissions have 45 days to provide official voter turnout numbers.

Republican Andy Ogles beat Democrat Heidi Campbell in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, turning the district red for the first time in its recorded history and giving the GOP another seat in Congress. 

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Incumbent Republican Mark Green has retained his seat in the U.S. House for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District after his Democratic opponent, Odessa Kelly, conceded the race.

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