The 2002 congressional elections in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002, to determine who will represent the state of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives.
These elections were the first under Tennessee's new congressional map after redistricting was completed by the state government. Following the 2002 elections, while the Republican Party won a larger share of the statewide popular vote, Democratic nominee Lincoln Davis flipped the 4th congressional district, which was previously represented by Republican Van Hilleary. This flipped the Tennessee delegation to a 5âÂÂ4 Democratic majority.
Tennessee was one of six states in which the party that won the state's popular vote did not win a majority of seats in 2002, the other states being Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas.
Following the release of the 2000 United States census data, the Tennessee General Assembly adopted new congressional district boundaries in early 2002 to reflect population shifts and comply with federal equal-population requirements. At the time, the Tennessee Legislature was controlled by the Democratic Party, which held majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, and the plan was signed into law by Republican Governor Don Sundquist. The redistricting bill for the U.S. House was passed by the legislature on January 10, 2002 and approved by the governor on January 17, 2002.
The 2002 redistricting plan revised several congressional district boundaries and was described by some as a Democratic gerrymander. Despite those claims, the map complied with federal redistricting requirements and was not overturned in court.
TennesseeâÂÂs 1st congressional district covered northeast Tennessee, including all of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties and parts of Jefferson County and Sevier County. It has been represented by Republican Bill Jenkins.
TennesseeâÂÂs 2nd congressional district lies in the east-central part of the state, based in Knoxville, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has been represented by Republican Jimmy Duncan since November 1988. He ran against Democrat Bob Scott. No Democrat has held this seat since 1855.
TennesseeâÂÂs 3rd congressional district, which stretches from the Chattanooga metropolitan area in southern Tennessee to Claiborne County in northern Tennessee, is strongly conservative and has been represented by Republican Congressman Zach Wamp since his initial 1994 election.
Four-term Republican incumbent Van Hilleary gave up the seat to make what would ultimately be an unsuccessful run for governor. Democratic State Senator Lincoln Davis won the open seat, narrowly defeating Republican Tullahoma Alderman Janice Bowling, 52.1%-46.5%.
A field of Republican candidates competed for the nomination to succeed incumbent Congressman Van Hilleary, who vacated the seat to run for governor of Tennessee. State Senator Janice Bowling, then a Tullahoma alderwoman, won the nomination with a plurality of the vote, defeating several challengers including Mike Greene and future Congressman Andy Ogles, who was among the better-financed contenders in the race but finished third.
State Senator Lincoln Davis won the Democratic primary against a self-funding opponent, Fran Marcum of Tullahoma, who spent nearly $2 million in the race.
TennesseeâÂÂs 5th congressional district was centered on Nashville and included portions of the surrounding area. The district was anchored by the majority of NashvilleâÂÂDavidson County, making Nashville its largest city and primary population center. In addition to Nashville, the district extended into parts of Cheatham County and Wilson County. This included communities such as Ashland City, Pleasant View, and Pegram in Cheatham County, as well as most of Lebanon, as well as Mount Juliet, and Green Hill in Wilson County.
TennesseeâÂÂs 6th congressional district lied in Middle Tennessee, including all of Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale Counties, as well as a portion of Wilson County. It had been represented by Democrat Bart Gordon since 1985.
TennesseeâÂÂs 7th congressional district was significantly redrawn following the 2000 census. The newly drawn district stretched from portions of Shelby County in West Tennessee through parts of Middle Tennessee which included the majority of Williamson County and a part of southern suburban Nashville and northward to include Clarksville in Montgomery County, resulting in an unusually long and narrow configuration that combined distant suburban and rural areas into a single congressional district. Critics of the 2002 plan described the changes as a partisan gerrymander by the Democratic-controlled Tennessee General Assembly, which added more Republican-leaning suburbs and retained rural communities, keeping a district that concentrated GOP voters and functioned effectively as a vote sink. Incumbent Republican Ed Bryant decided to run for the Senate election.
This Republican-leaning district, rooted in the northwestern portion of the state, had been represented by moderate Democratic Congressman John S. Tanner since 1989. Tanner ran for re-election, and easily defeated Republican candidate Mat McClain, carrying every county.
TennesseeâÂÂs 9th congressional district, based exclusively within the city of Memphis, has the distinction of being the state's most liberal district, the only district contained within one county, and Tennessee's only African-American majority district. Incumbent Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. had represented this district since his initial 1996 election.