United States Senate elections in Tennessee, 2014

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lamar Alexander Incumbent	61.9%	850,087
	Democratic	Gordon Ball	31.9%	437,848
	Independent	Ed Gauthier	0.2%	2,314
	Independent	Bartholomew Phillips	0.2%	2,386
	Independent	C. Salekin	0.1%	787
	Independent	Danny Page	0.6%	7,713
	Independent	Eric Schechter	0.1%	1,673
	Constitution	Joe Wilmoth	2.6%	36,088
	Independent	Joshua James	0.4%	5,678
	Independent	Rick Tyler	0.4%	5,759
	Tea Party	Tom Emerson, Jr.	0.8%	11,157
	Green	Martin Pleasant	0.9%	12,570
	Write-in	Erin Kent Magee	0%	5
Total Votes				1,374,065
Source: U.S. House Clerk "2014 Election Statistics"

2014 U.S. Senate Elections in Tennessee

General Election Date November 4, 2014

Primary Date August 7, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Lamar Alexander

Incumbent prior to election: Lamar Alexander

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R

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2014 U.S. House Elections

Voters in Tennessee elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Lamar Alexander defeated Gordon Ball, independent candidates Ed Gauthier, Bartholomew Phillips, C. Salekin, Danny Page, Eric Schechter, Joshua James and Rick Tyler, Tea Party candidate Tom Emerson, Jr., Constitution Party candidate Joe Wilmoth and Green Party candidate Martin Pleasant in the general election.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
April 3, 2014	August 7, 2014	November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Tennessee utilizes an open primary process; a voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his or affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by July 8, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.

See also: Tennessee elections, 2014

Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Lamar Alexander (R). Alexander was first elected in 2002.

Candidates

General election candidates

• Lamar Alexander - Incumbenta
• Gordon Ball
• Ed Gauthier
• Bartholomew Phillips
• C. Salekin
• Danny Page
• Eric Schechter
• Joshua James
• Rick Tyler
• Joe Wilmoth
• Tom Emerson, Jr.
• Martin Pleasant
• Erin Kent Magee- write-in

August 7, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary

• Lamar Alexander - Incumbenta
• Joe Carr - State Representative
• Brenda Lenard
• George Flinn Jr.
• Christian Agnew
• Erin Kent Magee
• John D. King

Democratic Primary

• Larry Crim
• Gary Davis
• Gordon Balla
• Terry Adams

Withdrew from race

• Harrison Kelly

Removed from ballot

• Fred Anderson
• Floyd Conover
• DEA. Jones

Election results

General election

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lamar Alexander Incumbent	61.9%	850,087
	Democratic	Gordon Ball	31.9%	437,848
	Independent	Ed Gauthier	0.2%	2,314
	Independent	Bartholomew Phillips	0.2%	2,386
	Independent	C. Salekin	0.1%	787
	Independent	Danny Page	0.6%	7,713
	Independent	Eric Schechter	0.1%	1,673
	Constitution	Joe Wilmoth	2.6%	36,088
	Independent	Joshua James	0.4%	5,678
	Independent	Rick Tyler	0.4%	5,759
	Tea Party	Tom Emerson, Jr.	0.8%	11,157
	Green	Martin Pleasant	0.9%	12,570
	Write-in	Erin Kent Magee	0%	5
Total Votes				1,374,065
Source: U.S. House Clerk "2014 Election Statistics"

Republican primary

Despite state Rep. Joe Carr's high-profile endorsements from Sarah Palin and conservative talk-radio host Laura Ingraham, the tea party-backed candidate was unable to defeat incumbent Lamar Alexander, who defeated six challengers in the Republican primary.

U.S. Senate, Tennessee Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lamar Alexander Incumbent	49.7%	330,088
Joe Carr	40.6%	269,169
George Flinn	5.2%	34,207
Christian Agnew	1.7%	11,203
John King	1.2%	7,876
Brenda Lenard	1.2%	7,697
Erin Magee	0.5%	3,412
Total Votes		663,652
Source: Results via Associated Press

Democratic primary

Gordon Ball defeated Larry Crim, Gary Davis and Terry Adams in the Democratic primary.

U.S. Senate, Tennessee Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Gordon Ball	36.5%	87,665
Terry Adams	35.6%	85,528
Gary Davis	17.6%	42,278
Larry Crim	10.3%	24,778
Total Votes		240,249
Source: Results via Associated Press

Issues

Candidate forum

Alexander and Ball met at a candidate forum in Cookeville on October 16, which quickly turned hostile. Alexander tied Ball to Barack Obama, noting that Ball supports the Affordable Care Act. Citing Ball's recent plagiarism of policies on his website, Alexander said, Ball would be "one more cut-and-paste vote for the Obama agenda."

Alexander also attacked Ball's profession. He said, "My opponent has a reputation as a very good lawyer in Knoxville. If you're a cocaine smuggler, and you're guilty, he's the one you'd want to hire to persuade the jury that you're not. I've made my money being a capitalist. He made his money suing capitalists."

Ball then went on the attack saying, "If you want to change what's gone on under my opponent's watch in this country, you've got to change the people in Washington. ...If gridlock is Harry Reid, then why did my opponent vote for Obama and Reid 62 percent of the time?"

Plagiariam

According to BuzzFeed.com, "Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Gordon Ball appears to have plagiarized nearly every word on his issues pages from a vast array of politicians including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren."

In response to the accusation Ball said, "I had no idea that this material was cut and pasted on my website from other sources."

Involvement in Syria

According to a report by The Hill in September 2013, Joe Carr was among four Republican senate candidates who had come out against intervening in Syria, while the incumbent, Lamar Alexander, remained undecided.

Key votes

Below are important votes that Alexander cast during the 113th Congress.

Economy

Farm bill

On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Alexander joined with 19 other Republican senators in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Alexander voted with the 17 Republican and the 55 Democratic members in favor of the bill.

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Alexander voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Alexander voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Alexander voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.

Endorsements

Lamar Alexander

Alexander was endorsed by the following people:

• Governor Bill Haslam
• Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey
• Sen. Bob Corker
• State speaker Beth Harwell
• Rep. Marsha Blackburn
• Rep. Chuck Fleischmann
• Rep. Diane Black
• Rep. Stephen Fincher
• Rep. Phil Roe
• Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr..
• Newt Gingrich
• Former Governor Mike Huckabee Huckabee said, "I've known a lot of conservative Republicans in politics and government but no one I've admire[d] more than Lamar Alexander. For the good of our country, I am writing you to ask that you help him and ensure he is re-elected to the U.S. Senate."
• Sen. Angus King

Joe Carr

Carr was endorsed by the following people and organizations:

• Upon announcing his entry into the race, Carr gained the endorsement of Tea Party Nation. The group's founder, Judson Phillips, said, "A conservative challenger has emerged to take on Lamar Alexander. His name is Joe Carr. We enthusiastically endorse Joe Carr in the Tennessee Republican Senate Primary."
• Nashville area talk show hosts Ralph Bristol and Michael DelGiorno from radio station 99.7 WTN
• Anti-Lamar PAC
• Beat Lamar
• The Coalition for a Constitutional Senate
• Laura Ingraham, conservative talk-radio host
• Sarah Palin
• Eagle Forum PAC

Polls

General Election
Poll	Lamar Alexander	Gordon Ball	Other	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
YouGov September 20 - October 1, 2014	53%	32%	2%	12%	+/-4	1,007
YouGov August 18 - September 2, 2014	47%	32%	10%	11%	+/-4	1,056
Rasmussen Reports August 11-12, 2014	47%	32%	10%	12%	+/-4	750
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Tennessee Republican primary
Poll	Lamar Alexander	Joe Carr	George Flinn	Other	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Red Racing Horses (July 28-30, 2014)	41%	29%	5%	5%	20%	+/-5.0	400
Triton Polling (July 10-11, 2014)	43%	36%	6.7%	4%	10.1%	+/-2.9	1,099
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Tennessee Republican primary
Poll	Lamar Alexander	Joe Carr	Other	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
North Star Opinion Research (May 12-14, 2014)	56%	14%	8%	22%	+/-4	600
North Star Opinion Research (February 3-6, 2014)	62%	17%	3%	18%	+/-4	600
Public Policy Polling (December 2-3, 2013)	46%	40%	0%	14%	+/-5	391
North Star Opinion Research (August 19-22, 2013)	64%	22%	0%	14%	+/-4	600
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Media

Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander's January 2014 ad, "Standing Up For Tennessee."

Lamar Alexander's October 2014 ad, "Vote For A New Senate Majority."

Lamar Alexander's October 2014 ad, "Gordon Ball: One More Vote for Obama."

• In January 2014, Alexander ran his first campaign ad of 2014. The ad featured residents of Tennessee who discussed Alexander's conservative values.

• In Alexander's ad, "Vote For A New Senate Majority," he said, "Obamacare’s a failure; border security’s a mess, terrorists run rampant and America’s drowning in debt. If that’s okay with you then vote for my opponent — he’ll be just one more vote for Barack Obama’s agenda. But America’s better than that. Your vote can mean a new Senate majority where I can work to fix our broken system and get the right things done."

• The narrator in "Gordon Ball: One More Vote for Obama," said, "Gordon Ball tells us he’d be independent. But he’d be just one more vote for Obama. He’s a liberal, pro-Obamacare, pro-choice, pro-gun control, slick talking personal injury lawyer. Clearly Gordon Ball would be just one more vote for Barack Obama’s agenda. Slick talk, one more vote for Obama, that’s the real Gordon Ball."

Lamar Alexander's October 2014 ad, "Trust Me With Your Vote."

Lamar Alexander's October 2014 ad, "Together."

• In Alexander's ad, "Trust Me With Your Vote," Alexander said, "These are serious times, and here’s the choice. A vote for my opponent is just one more vote for Barack Obama’s agenda. Trust me with your vote. It could mean a new Senate majority that will stand up to terrorism, secure our borders, and make it easier to find a job. And finally, we’ll begin to fix our broken system."

• In "Together," Alexander argued that he has seen what Tennesseans can do when they work together. He then said, "Trust me with your vote and I will put that kind of Tennessee common sense to work in a new majority in the United States Senate, and we can begin to fix our broken system and move our country in the right direction."

CRES

CRES TV ad: "Maverick."

• Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions released "Maverick" in support of Alexander. The ad argued that Alexander has helped keep America secure and will continue to do so.

Gordon Ball

Gordon Ball's June 2014 ad, "Why Gordon Ball is running for Senate."

Gordon Ball's July 2014 ad, "Working for Tennessee."

Gordon Ball's October 2014 ad, "Same Old Song and Dance."

• The narrator in "Why Gordon Ball is running for Senate" said that Ball will "stand up for the working poor and middle class."

• The narrator in "Working for Tennessee" agued that politicians in Washington are only fighting for their own jobs. In addition, the narrator said that Ball has promised to stand up for the middle class.

• The narrator in "Same Old Song and Dance" argued that Alexander is "out of tune" with what Tennessee needs.

Joe Carr

Joe Carr's 2014 ad, "Crisis in America."

Joe Carr's 2014 ad, "Listens."

• Joe Carr's ad, "Crisis in America," criticized Alexander for his stance on immigration.

• Joe Carr's ad, "Listens," accused Alexander of working with Washington insiders, rather than for the people of Tennessee. The narrator said, "Lamar Alexander is listening to Washington, not Tennessee conservatives."

George Flinn

Flinn's 2014 ad, "U.S. Border Protection."

Flinn's 2014 ad, "Seal the Border."

• Flinn's ad, "U.S. Border Protection," attacked Alexander's record on immigration. Flinn also promised to protect America's borders, if elected.

• Flinn highlighted the problems associated with "career politicians" in his ad, "Seal the Border." He promised to bring "conservative solutions to problems."

Campaign contributions

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Lamar Alexander

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Alexander's reports.

Lamar Alexander (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 15, 2013	$1,010,758.68	$1,011,187.37	$(216,029.39)	$1,805,916.66
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$1,805,916.66	$2,039,529.20	$(723,012.28)	$3,122,433.58
October Quarterly	October 15, 2013	$3,122,433.58	$842,131.03	$(1,158,871.38)	$2,805,693.23
Year-End	January 31, 2014	$2,805,693	$774,639	$(402,356)	$3,177,975
April Quarterly	April 15, 2014	$3,177,975.95	$643,440.80	$(703,032.63)	$3,118,384.17
July Quarterly	July 15, 2014	$3,118,384.17	$917,137.13	$(623,840.59)	$3,411,680.71
			Running totals
			$6,228,064.53	$(3,827,142.27)

Joe Carr

Joe Carr (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	7/15/2013	$0.00	$205,479.00	$(13,837.71)	$191,641.29
July Quarterly	7/15/2013	$191,641.29	$100,225.00	$(16,858.01)	$275,008.28
October Quarterly	10/15/2013	$275,008.28	$52,276.98	$(41,778.03)	$285,507.23
Year-End	January 31, 2014	$285,507	$251,173	$(131,530)	$405,150
			Running totals
			$609,153.98	$(204,003.75)

Danny Page

Danny Page (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
October Quarterly	November 7, 2013	$0	$0	$(0)	$0
Year-End	January 30, 2014	$0	$635	$(584)	$50
April Quarterly	April 2, 2014	$50.21	$681	$(462.72)	$292.82
			Running totals
			$1,316	$(1,046.72)

Brenda Lenard

Brenda Lenard (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 11, 2013	$4,250.32	$3,106.68	$(6,891.64)	$465.36
July Quarterly	July 15, 2013	$465.36	$0.00	$(0.00)	$465.36
October Quarterly	October 15, 2013	$465.36	$1,047.18	$(7,339.72)	$3,582.82
			Running totals
			$4,153.86	$(14,231.36)

Larry Crim

Larry Crim (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 11, 2013	$2,633.22	$0	$(1,775.83)	$857.39
July Quarterly	July 11, 2013	$857.39	$2,365.00	$(3,029.00)	$193.39
October Quarterly	October 13, 2013	$193.39	$30,045.00	$(12,408.00)	$17,830.39
Year-End	February 4, 2014	$17,830	$10,190	$(9,185)	$18,835
April Quarterly	April 12, 2014	$18,835.39	$11,816.00	$(6,748.00)	$23,903.39
			Running totals
			$54,416	$(33,145.83)

Ed Gauthier

Ed Gauthier (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Year-End	January 23, 2014	$0	$0	$(318)	$−318
April Quarterly	April 1, 2014	$0	$0	$(−340.28)	$−340.28
			Running totals
			$0	$(−22.28)

Christian Agnew

Christian Agnew (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
April Quarterly	April 8, 2014	$0	$200	$(0)	$200
			Running totals
			$200	$(0)

Terry Adams

Terry Adams (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Year-End	January 30, 2014	$0.00	$23,570.14	$(3,117.39)	$20,452.75
April Quarterly	April 14, 2014	$20,556.71	$42,128.00	$(44,035.30)	$18,649.41
			Running totals
			$65,698.14	$(47,152.69)

Election history

2012

On November 6, 2012, Bob Corker won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Mark Clayton, Shaun Crowell, David Gatchell, James Higdon, Michel Long, Troy Scoggin, Kermit Steck and Martin Pleasant, in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bob Corker Incumbent	64.9%	1,506,443
	Democratic	Mark E. Clayton	30.4%	705,882
	Constitution	Kermit Steck	0.8%	18,620
	Green	Martin Pleasant	1.7%	38,472
	Libertarian	Shaun E. Crowell	0.9%	20,936
	Independent	David Gatchell	0.3%	6,523
	Independent	Michael Joseph Long	0.3%	8,085
	Independent	Troy Stephen Scoggin	0.3%	8,080
Total Votes				2,320,189
Source: Tennessee Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2008

On November 4, 2008, Lamar Alexander won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Robert D. Tuke (R), Edward L. Buck (D), Christopher G. Fenner (I), Daniel Towers Lewis (I), Chris Lugo (I), Ed Lawhorn (I) and David Gatchell (I) in the general election.

On November 4, 2008, Alexander won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Robert D. Tuke, Edward L. Buck, Christopher G. Fenner, Daniel Towers Lewis, Chris Lugo, Ed Lawhorn and David Gatchell in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lamar Alexander Incumbent	65.1%	1,579,477
	Democratic	Robert D. Tuke	31.6%	767,236
	Independent	Edward L. Buck	1.3%	31,631
	Independent	Christopher G. Fenner	0.5%	11,073
	Independent	Daniel Towers Lewis	0.4%	9,367
	Independent	Chris Lugo	0.4%	9,170
	Independent	Ed Lawhorn	0.4%	8,986
	Independent	David Gatchell	0.3%	7,645
Total Votes				2,424,585

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2014
• United States Senate elections, 2014

External links

• Tennessee Secretary of State

Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Mark Green (R)

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (10)

Democratic Party (1)