National Democrats target 3 Tennessee legislative races to 'chip away' at GOP supermajority

A national Democratic fundraising arm has tapped three Tennessee statehouse candidates as "spotlight" races in a program aimed to throw more financial resources behind potentially flippable seats in state legislatures.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the official party committee that works to elect state-level Democrats, announced Thursday it would target two competitive races in Clarksville and Memphis, in addition to a "defense" seat currently held by a Democrat in Clarksville.

Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, is seeking reelection in a competitive race against Republican Jamie Peltz.

In House District 75, Democrat Allie Phillips is challenging incumbent Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville, in west Montgomery County.

Democrat Jesse Huseth is challenging incumbent Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, in House District 97, seen as one of the most vulnerable Republican districts in the state.

"It's very exciting to see the national party take an interest in these state-level races, in the South particularly," Huseth said.

"Building power from the ground up in local races is how we affect change in Tennessee and at the national level."

The Democratic committee will fundraise directly for the candidates who Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said were "key to challenging GOP dominance in some of the toughest territory." The DLCC is currently backing candidates in 24 other states, and it previously targeted six Tennessee races in the 2022 legislative cycle.

“Republicans in Tennessee have used their power to push a dangerous agenda that strips freedoms and puts communities at risk," Williams said. "They have tried repeatedly to silence opposition but Democrats will not stop fighting. To combat Republican power, the DLCC is putting a spotlight on these three candidates in competitive races who are prepared to take on the GOP’s harmful policies. These Democratic candidates will chip away at Republicans’ stronghold and provide compassionate leadership that strengthens Tennesseans’ rights."

In Tennessee, Democrats have fielded one of the largest candidate slates seen in recent cycles, as years of Republican supermajority power have in part atrophied party infrastructure and candidate recruitment for the minority party.

The GOP is in no danger of losing its hold on the state's legislature this cycle: Republicans hold 75 of 99 seats in the House and 27 of 33 seats in the Senate.

More: After years of losses, Tennessee Democrats hope to flip these state legislative seats

But candidates are eyeing a handful of flippable seats and hope a few key victories could lay the groundwork to energize the next cycle.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: National Democrats target 3 Tennessee legislative races to 'chip away' at GOP supermajority