Tennessee voters pick candidates for key U.S. Senate seat, governor

Tennessee primary voters on Thursday picked candidates for the governorship and a critical U.S. Senate seat. Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, and Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn won their respective primaries and face off in a cutthroat race to help determine whether the 51-49 GOP Senate majority remains intact. Incumbent Republican Sen. Bob Corker chose retirement and tweeted his support for Blackburn, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and hardliner on immigration. Bredesen is campaigning as a moderate who will support Trump on pro-Tennessee policies and oppose him when necessary. He sharply criticized Trump’s tariff policies as costing the state an estimated $1.4 billion. Trump won Tennessee by a 26-point margin over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

In the gubernatorial race, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean won the Democratic primary while businessman and outspoken Christian Bill Lee won the GOP primary. Branding himself a political outsider, Lee defeated U.S. Rep. Diane Black, who finished third despite Vice President Mike Pence’s endorsement.