2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee

← 2004 November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) 2008 →

All 9 Tennessee seats to the United States House of Representatives
Turnout49.97% Decrease[1] 16.35 pp
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Last election 5 4
Seats won 5 4
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 860,861 799,547
Percentage 50.18% 46.61%
Swing Increase 3.67% Decrease 5.71%

     Democratic hold
     Republican hold

The 2006 congressional elections in Tennessee was held on November 7, 2006, to determine who will represent the state of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives.

Following the 2006 elections, no seats changed hands, leaving the Tennessee delegation at a 5-4 Democratic majority.

Overview

[edit]
United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2006[2]
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Democratic 860,861 50.18% 5
Republican 799,547 46.61% 4
Independents 55,018 3.21% 0
Totals 1,715,426 100.00% 9

(There was 6 Write-in votes that were added to the statewide total number of votes).

Popular vote
Democratic
50.18%
Republican
46.61%
Other
3.21%
House seats
Democratic
55.56%
Republican
44.44%

By district

[edit]
District Incumbent Results Candidates
District 2004 CPVI Representative Party First
elected
Tennessee 1 R+14 Bill Jenkins Republican 1996 Incumbent retired.
New member elected.
Republican hold.
  • Green tickY David Davis (Republican) 61.1%
  • Rick Trent (Democratic) 36.9%
Others
  • Bob Smith (Green) 0.6%
  • James Reeves (Independent) 0.6%
  • Michael Peavler (Independent) 0.5%
  • Michael Sabri (Independent) 0.2%
Tennessee 2 R+11 Jimmy Duncan Republican 1998 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Jimmy Duncan (Republican) 77.7%
  • John Greene (Democratic) 22.3%
Tennessee 3 R+8 Zach Wamp Republican 1994 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Zach Wamp (Republican) 65.7%
  • Brent Benedict (Democratic) 34.3%
Tennessee 4 R+3 Lincoln Davis Democratic 2002 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Lincoln Davis (Democratic) 67.5%
  • Kenneth Martin (Republican) 32.5%
Tennessee 5 D+6 Jim Cooper Democratic 1982
1994 (retired)
2002
Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Jim Cooper (Democratic) 68.9%
  • Tom Kovach (Republican) 28.0%
  • Virginia Welsch (Independent) 2.1%
  • Scott Knapp (Independent) 1.0%
Tennessee 6 R+4 Bart Gordon Democratic 1984 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY Bart Gordon (Democratic) 67.1%
  • Randy Stamps (Republican) 31.4%
  • Robert Garrison (Independent) 1.1%
  • Norman Saliba (Independent) 0.5%
Tennessee 7 R+12 Marsha Blackburn Republican 2002 Incumbent re-elected.
Others
  • Katey Culver (Green) 0.8%
  • James White (Independent) 0.4%
  • William Smith (Independent) 0.4%
  • John L. Rimer (Independent) 0.3%
  • Gayl Pratt (Independent) 0.3%
Tennessee 8 EVEN John Tanner Democratic 1988 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green tickY John Tanner (Democratic) 73.2%
  • John Farmer (Republican) 26.8%
Tennessee 9 D+18 Harold Ford Jr. Democratic 1996 Incumbent retired to run for U.S. Senator.
New member elected.
Democratic hold.

District 1

[edit]

Incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Jenkins, approaching his seventieth birthday, declined to seek a sixth term in order to spend more time with his family, creating an open seat. This staunchly conservative district, based in northeastern Tennessee, has been held by Republicans since 1881, one of the longest streaks out of any district nationwide. Republican State Representative David Davis won a narrow victory in the Republican primary and moved on to the general election, where he defeated Democratic candidate Rick Trent, a real estate businessman, and several independent candidates by a solid, but smaller margin than is normally seen in this district.

Tennessee's 1st congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican David Davis 108,336 61.11
Democratic Rick Trent 65,538 36.97
Independent Robert N. Smith 1,024 0.58
Independent James W. Reeves 1,003 0.57
Independent Michael Peavler 966 0.54
Independent Michael Sabri 411 0.23
Total votes 177,278 100.00
Republican hold

District 2

[edit]

Incumbent Republican Congressman Jimmy Duncan, seeking a tenth term, faced no serious competition from two-time congressional candidate John Greene. This congressional district, based largely in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area, has been continuously held by the Republican Party since 1867 and has a long history of staunch conservatism. Duncan defeated Greene in an overwhelming landslide, as expected, winning another term in Congress.

Tennessee's 2nd congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jimmy Duncan (inc.) 157,095 77.72
Democratic John Greene 45,025 22.28
Total votes 202,120 100.00
Republican hold

District 3

[edit]

This gerrymandered district, which stretches from the Chattanooga metropolitan area in southern Tennessee to Claiborne County in northern Tennessee, is strongly conservative and has been represented by Republican Congressman Zach Wamp since his initial 1994 election. Seeking a seventh term, Wamp easily dispatched Democratic nominee Brent Benedict to win re-election.

Tennessee's 3rd congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Zach Wamp (inc.) 130,791 65.69
Democratic Brent Benedict 68,324 34.31
Total votes 199,115 100.00
Republican hold

District 4

[edit]
2006 Tennessee's 4th congressional district election

← 2004
2008 →
 
Nominee Lincoln Davis Kenneth Martin
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 123,666 62,449
Percentage 66.45% 33.55%

Results
Davis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Martin:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election

Lincoln Davis
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

Lincoln Davis
Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Lincoln Davis has represented this district since his 2002 election, claiming the seat that Van Hilleary vacated to run for Governor of Tennessee. Though this district has become more conservative in recent years, it has a long history of electing Democratic Congressmen, including Jim Cooper, Al Gore, and Albert Gore, Sr. It stretches from the outer reaches of the Nashville metropolitan area, hugs much of the southern Tennessee border, and shoots upwards to Campbell County in northern Tennessee. Davis ultimately defeated Republican candidate Kenneth Martin in a landslide win to seize a third term in Congress.

Tennessee's 4th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lincoln Davis (inc.) 123,666 66.45
Republican Kenneth Martin 62,449 33.55
Total votes 186,115 100.00
Democratic hold

District 5

[edit]

This Democratic-leaning district, largely based in the city of Nashville, has been represented by Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper since 2002, though he had previously represented an adjacent district from 1983 to 1995. True to the district's liberal tilt, Cooper swamped Republican nominee Thomas Kovach and independent candidate Ginny Welsch to win a third term in Congress.

Tennessee's 5th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jim Cooper (inc.) 122,919 69.00
Republican Thomas F. Kovach 49,702 27.90
Independent Ginny Welsch 3,766 2.11
Independent Scott Knapp 1,755 0.99
Total votes 178,142 100.00
Democratic hold

District 6

[edit]

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Bart Gordon, a high-ranking member on the House Science and Technology Committee, sought a twelfth term in this increasingly conservative district based in the eastern suburbs of Nashville. In a testament to Gordon's moderate tenure, his widespread popularity, and the Democratic wave sweeping the country in 2006, Gordon was re-elected again with nearly seventy percent of the vote.

Endorsements

[edit]
Individuals
Tennessee's 6th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bart Gordon (inc.) 129,069 67.09
Republican David R. Davis 60,392 31.39
Independent Robert L. Garrison 2,035 1.06
Independent Norman R. Saliba 884 0.46
Total votes 192,380 100.00
Democratic hold

District 7

[edit]

This staunchly conservative district, which stretches from the western suburbs of Memphis, runs along the southern border of Tennessee, and hugs the western suburbs of Nashville, is the state's wealthiest. Incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn has represented this district since her election in 2002, replacing Republican Congressman Ed Bryant, who opted to run for Senate. Blackburn was victorious in her bid for a third term, defeating Democratic nominee Bill Morrison and five independents in a landslide.

Tennessee's 7th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Marsha Blackburn (inc.) 152,288 66.05
Democratic Bill Morrison 73,369 31.82
Independent Kathleen A. Culver 1,806 0.78
Independent Mickey White 898 0.39
Independent William J. Smith 848 0.37
Independent John L. Rimer 710 0.31
Independent Gayl G. Pratt 663 0.29
Total votes 230,582 100.00
Republican hold

District 8

[edit]
2006 Tennessee's 8th congressional district election

← 2004
2008 →
 
Nominee John S. Tanner John Farmer
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 129,610 47,492
Percentage 73.2% 26.8%

Results
Tanner:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. Representative before election

John S. Tanner
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

John S. Tanner
Democratic

This Republican-leaning district, rooted in the northwestern portion of the state, has been represented by moderate Democratic Congressman John S. Tanner since 1989. Tanner ran for re-election to a ninth term, and easily defeated Republican candidate John Farmer, carrying every county.

Tennessee's 8th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John S. Tanner (inc.) 129,610 73.18
Republican John Farmer 47,492 26.82
Write-ins 6 0.00
Total votes 178,142 100.00
Democratic hold

District 9

[edit]

Campaign

[edit]

This district, based exclusively within the city of Memphis, has the distinction of being the state's most liberal district, the only district contained within one county, and Tennessee's only African-American majority district. Incumbent Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. opted to run for Senate rather than seeking a sixth term, creating an open seat. Democratic State Senator Steve Cohen won the Democratic primary to replace Ford with a slight plurality, which is tantamount to election in this district. Cohen faced Republican nominee Mark White and Jake Ford, the younger brother of Harold Ford, Jr. Cohen defeated both opponents by a solid margin, and held the distinction of being white and representing a solidly African-American district, a rarity.

Endorsements

[edit]
Steve Cohen (D)

Local officials

Jake Ford (I)

Federal officials

Results

[edit]
Tennessee's 9th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Steve Cohen 103,341 59.88
Independent Jake Ford 38,243 22.16
Republican Mark White 31,002 17.96
Total votes 172,586 100.00
Democratic hold

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2006". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 7, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
  3. ^ "Bill Morrison (TN-07) | WesPAC". November 4, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Kapochunas, Rachel (November 11, 2006). "On Their Way: Cohen Rises Above Ford Family Drama in Tenn. 9". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022.