TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 4, 2020

With much of the vote tallied across the state, there are only handful of legislative races still in play, the Tennessee Journal reports. In a race Democrats have long sought to flip, challenger Heidi Campbell beat incumbent Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, by a vote of 52% to 48%. It appears all other incumbents held on to their seats. In House races, incumbent Memphis Rep. John DeBerry, who ran for re-election as an independent, lost to Democrat Torrey Harris by a vote of 77% to 23%. Torrey also becomes the first of two openly LGBT legislators elected. In the open seat to succeed retiring Rep. Jim Coley, R-Bartlett, Republican John Gillespie is leading Democrat Gabby Salinas by a slim margin at press time but is projected to win the race. In the open seat to succeed retiring Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, Republican businessman Eddie Mannis, the other openly LGBT legislator elected this year, defeated Democrat Virginia Couch. Access all election results on the Secretary of State's website.