Republicans gained 3 seats, reclaiming and expanding their majority that they gained in 2004.[2][3]
Background
On March 14, 2007, Michael Williams announced that he was leaving the Senate Republican Caucus and becoming an Independent.[4][5][6][7] This left the Senate evenly divided, with 16 Democrats, 16 Republicans, and one Independent. In explaining his move, Williams said: "Some in the [Republican] party are leading us down a path of bitterness and divisiveness and, in doing so, they have left me. I have not left them." Senate leaders from both parties said Williams' move would make little difference because, as Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle stated, "Mike Williams has never been a guaranteed vote for anyone." Williams decided to seek re-election in 2008. The district he represented is generally regarded as strongly Republican, but Williams said he believes voters appreciate independence. "The largest voting bloc in the state of Tennessee is Independents," he said. "They're just not organized."
Election officials certified Rosalind Kurita's primary victory. However, Tim Barnes contested the results, claiming that Kurita only won because a large number of Republicans crossed over to vote in Tennessee's open Democratic primary.[11] On September 13, Tennessee Democratic Party officials met in Nashville and voted to strip Kurita of the nomination. Party officials in Kurita's district then held a convention and designated Barnes as the party's candidate in the November general election. Kurita had been on bad terms with party leadership because of her vote for Republican Ron Ramsey, enabling him to win election as Senate speaker.[12]
Kurita also sued the state Democratic Party in federal court, seeking to have her name restored to the ballot.[13] Her lawsuit charged that the Tennessee law allowing political party officials to rule on challenges to primary election results violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because it has no procedural rules to protect due process and it does not allow for judicial review. The complaint also contended that Kurita's rights were violated because rules for the party's review of the primary results were not adopted until the morning of the review meeting, and that the Democratic Party officials did not adequately explain their reasons for overturning the election results.[13] On October 15, 2008, Judge Robert L. Echols of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee dismissed her complaint. His ruling stated that when primary election results are contested, under Tennessee law the primary board (in this instance the Democratic Party executive committee) has the authority to decide on the party's nominee. Kurita said she would appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, but this effort did not result in the revocation of Barnes having been awarded the nomination.[14]
Kurita subsequently announced that she would seek re-election in November as a write-in candidate.[15]
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