CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on Tuesday was hustling for votes and looking to maximize support in deep-red territory just hours before the polls closed and voters were set to decide the Republican’s surprisingly competitive Senate race with Phil Bredesen, the Democratic former governor.
In one of her final stops before settling in her election night headquarters in suburban Nashville, Blackburn dropped by by a crowded burger and custard joint about an hour northwest of Music City to encourage any last-minute voters and thank supporters for their work on her behalf.
Early in the midterm election campaign, Bredesen, a centrist Democrat remembered fondly for his tenure as governor, was leading most public-opinion polls. Blackburn began to establish a durable lead in the beginning of October. Her campaign, and GOP insiders monitoring the contest, was confident of the outcome.
“We’re going to win,” Blackburn told reporters in Clarksville, an exurban community that is in the conservative congressional district she has represented for several years.
The race in Tennessee to replace retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker is a key contest in GOP efforts to hold its slim, 51-49 majority, and possibly add a few seats. In recruiting Bredesen to run, the Democrats were able to threaten in a state that President Trump won two years ago by more than 25 percentage points.
To shore up support for Blackburn down the stretch, Trump made repeated visits to the state for his signature MAGA rallies.
That, and the explosive confirmation hearings to confirm now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court appear to have awakened a complacent GOP electorate, boosting the congresswoman. However, Bredesen remained within striking distance ahead of 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern, when the polls were scheduled to close across Tennessee.
