Chattanooga: Republican officials stress importance of state races

By: Herman Wang, TimesFreePress.com
November 3, 2008

A bevy of Tennessee GOP leaders arrived at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport this morning on their statewide barnstorming tour the day before the election to urge voters not to ignore the down-ballot races on the ticket.

“Tomorrow is an important day,” said Robin Smith, chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “There’s a lot of attention at the top of the ticket with John McCain and Lamar Alexander, but we want to make sure they vote for every race on the ticket.”

Of particular importance, the GOP officials said, are state legislative races that will determine which party controls the state House and Senate.

Republicans now have control of the Senate by a narrow margin, while Democrats maintain a slim hold in the House.

Republicans are hoping to take control of the House for the first time since Reconstruction. The party in control after the 2010 election will have the power to redraw district lines.

“It matters who governs, and who governs depends on who votes,” Sen. Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said. “We don’t want people to take their eyes off the prize.”