State Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, moved a step closer to running for mayor today, picking up official papers to qualify for the Chattanooga mayoral election, the Times Free Press reports. Berke had previously announced his intention to give up his senate seat and run for mayor. He’s since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign.

After four years of controversial leadership, Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester will not seek re-election to the party's top post, he told The Tennessean today. The move opens the door to new leadership for the party, which has suffered deep losses in both the statehouse and among the state's congressional delegation in recent years. Democrats will elect a new party chair in January. Forrester said he believes the chair should serve a four-year term, not two years, and is proposing a bylaws change to that effect.

Lou Ann Zelenik may not have to face a contempt of court citation if she testifies in a state senator's lawsuit before Aug. 8. The ruling came down Monday from Wilson County Judge C.K. Smith who said in the order he's "not inclined to punish" the Republican Congressional candidate if she were to give her deposition by the August date. Zelenik was accused last week of criminal contempt for not appearing for a July 12 court deposition. She was subpoenaed in an ongoing lawsuit brought by State Senator Mae Beavers and her husband Jerry against a Macon County newspaper. WKRN reports

Joining other GOP groups across the state, Maury County Republicans have signed a resolution opposing Gov. Bill Haslam’s recent appointment of a Muslim woman to a state board, alleging she is an adherent of Sharia Law. The resolution mirrors a document signed in Williamson County last week, bringing the number to at least eight county party organizations that have passed resolutions seeking some sort of action by the state party. Samar Ali, a Vanderbilt University Law School graduate who is of the Muslim faith, was selected by Gov. Haslam in May to serve as the Department of Economic and Community Development’s international director. The Columbia Daily Herald has more on the resolution, while an editorial in the News Sentinel says Ali is extremely qualified and calls for a stop to "hate-filled intolerance," "bigotry" and "fear-fueled accusations."

A number of county chapters of the Tennessee Republican Party have passed resolutions criticizing Gov. Bill Haslam for showing "a consistent lack of conservative values,' The Tennessean reports today. As many as eight county chapters have called on state Republican leaders to sanction Haslam for policies including the hiring of homosexuals, Democrats and a Muslim attorney. 

A story in today's issue of the Washington Post analyzes Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's position on judicial appointments, beginning with his pledge as a new governor to clean up Massachusetts' system -- which he said was "riddled with patronage and backroom deals" -- to his 2008 decision to dismiss members of the nominating commission he had created after clashes over appointments. The story suggests that Romney ended his time in office pushing through "a surge of judicial nominees, some with controversial records, others with the kind of political connections he once condemned." The Romney campaign defended his record saying he “put in place groundbreaking reforms” and selected judges "he felt had the appropriate temperament, judicial philosophy and demonstrated capability" to be on the bench.

State Senator Andy Berke today announced his candidacy for office of the mayor of Chattanooga, the Chattanoogan.com reports.

Republicans are hurting their party with their rhetoric on immigration, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told a gathering at an American Bar Association roundtable Thursday. "The dialogue has been mean," said Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general. "As a result, we find our presumptive nominee Mitt Romney facing an uphill battle for Hispanic support because of how we talk about this issue..." The National Law Journal has more

State Sen. Stacey Campfield responded on his blog to the Gingrich campaign’s request to not seat him at the Republican National Convention. It turns out, Campfield writes, it is up to the delegate, not the campaign, on whether or not a substitution can be made. “Not a good way to ingratiate yourself to the one person who can help you,” he writes. Humphrey on the Hill has more

Rep. Scotty Campbell of Mountain City became the third Republican to announce he will not run for reelection in the House. Ten Democratic incumbents have announced they won't seek re-election this year, the Commercial Appeal reports.