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Turnout | 49.97% ![]() | ||||||||||||||||
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Bredesen: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bryson: 50–60% 60–70% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Tennessee |
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The 2006 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006, to elect the governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen was re-elected to a second term with 68.6% of the vote, defeating his Republican challenger Jim Bryson. Improving on his performance from 2002, Bredesen also carried every county in the state.
As of 2024, this was the last time a Democrat won a majority of counties in the state, the last time a Democrat won any statewide race in Tennessee, and the most recent statewide election in Tennessee in which 88 of the state's 95 counties, including Knox County and Hamilton County, went to the Democratic candidate. Only Davidson, Shelby, Haywood, Hardeman, Houston, Jackson, and Lake counties have voted for a Democratic candidate in a Presidential, Senate, or gubernatorial race since 2006. Eight years after this, Republican Governor Bill Haslam would win every county in the state when he won re-election. This marked a sharp political shift in Tennessee.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Phil Bredesen (incumbent) | 393,004 | 88.50 | |
Democratic | John Jay Hooker | 31,933 | 7.19 | |
Democratic | Tim Sevier | 11,562 | 2.60 | |
Democratic | Walt Ward | 7,555 | 1.70 | |
Total votes | 444,054 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Bryson | 160,786 | 50.03 | |
Republican | David M. Farmer | 50,900 | 15.84 | |
Republican | Joe Kirkpatrick | 34,491 | 10.73 | |
Republican | Mark Albertini | 29,184 | 9.08 | |
Republican | Wayne Thomas Bailey | 24,273 | 7.55 | |
Republican | Wayne Young | 11,997 | 3.73 | |
Republican | Timothy Thomas | 9,747 | 3.03 | |
Total votes | 321,378 | 100.00 |
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [4] | Solid D | November 6, 2006 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [5] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
Rothenberg Political Report [6] | Safe D | November 2, 2006 |
Real Clear Politics [7] | Likely D | November 6, 2006 |
Source | Date | Phil Bredesen (D) | Jim Bryson (R) |
---|---|---|---|
Survey USA | October 25, 2006 | 66% | 28% |
Survey USA | October 10, 2006 | 63% | 32% |
Accuratings Archived December 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | October 24, 2006 | 67% | 33% |
The Commercial Appeal | October 3, 2006 | 63% | 22% |
Rasmussen | October 3, 2006 | 63% | 28% |
Rasmussen | September 7, 2006 | 58% | 31% |
Zogby | June 13, 2006 | 58% | 22% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Phil Bredesen (incumbent) | 1,247,491 | 68.60% | +17.95% | |
Republican | Jim Bryson | 540,853 | 29.74% | −17.85% | |
Independent | Carl Two Feathers Whitaker | 11,374 | 0.63% | N/A | |
Independent | George Banks | 7,531 | 0.41% | N/A | |
Independent | Charles E. Smith | 4,083 | 0.22% | N/A | |
Independent | Howard W. Switzer | 2,711 | 0.15% | N/A | |
Independent | David Gatchell | 2,385 | 0.13% | N/A | |
Independent | Marivuana Stout Leinoff | 2,114 | 0.12% | N/A | |
Write-in | 7 | 0.00% | N/A | ||
Majority | 706,638 | 38.86% | +35.80% | ||
Turnout | 1,818,549 | ||||
Democratic hold | Swing |
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor is the only official in the Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state.
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and re-elected in 2006 with 68.6%. He served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986. He is the last Democrat to win and/or hold statewide office in Tennessee.
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