Tennessee has 240 major party candidates running for state legislative office, the most of any election cycle since 2014.
Of the 240 total candidates, 106 are Democrats, a decade-high and up 34% from 2022. There are 134 Republican candidates, one candidate fewer than in 2022.
Tennessee has 41 contested state legislative primaries this year, a 14% increase from the previous cycle.
Fourteen of the 41 contested primaries are for Democrats. This is the same as in 2020 and up 27% from 11 in 2022. Republicans have 27 contested primaries, up 8% from 2022.
Twenty-eight incumbents face primary challenges, representing 26% of all incumbents running for re-election. This is higher than the two preceding cycles, but lower than the 2016 and 2018 cycles.
Sixteen of the 33 total Senate seats and all 99 House seats are up for election. Eight of those seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed.
Tennessee has had a Republican trifecta since the party won control of the governor’s office in 2011. Republicans currently have a 75-24 majority in the House and a 27-6 majority in the Senate.
Tennessee’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for Aug. 1.
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