From AP and Knoxnews
Note: Here in Knoxville it is raining.Might affect turnout.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — If favorite son Al Gore couldn’t beat George W. Bush in 2000, how can a Massachusetts senator compete?

Tennessee is expected to give its 11 electoral votes to President Bush again, but no one knows exactly how an unusually large turnout might affect the race.

Democrats hope thousands of newly registered voters, many motivated by the tight 2000 presidential election, will swing the state for Democratic candidate John Kerry.

“You just never know, especially after last time,” said Kelly Wilson, a 38-year-old Nashville resident who voted for Kerry. “I just felt it was important for me to vote.”

Wilson was among was among 1.13 million Tennesseans who voted early Oct. 13-28 — roughly 30 percent of those eligible. Based on those early numbers, officials expect the total vote to surpass the record 2.1 million who cast ballots in 2000.

Democrats are counting on these unpredictable young and first-time voters, but Republicans note that Bush had a double-digit lead in Tennessee in several polls.

“I still would be shocked if Bush did not win Tennessee,” said Middle Tennessee State University political science professor Mark Byrnes.

Cynthia Leaster, 48, cast her ballot in Hamilton County Tuesday for Kerry, mainly in hope of upgrading public education and creating jobs.

Leaster, a private housekeeper, said she typically votes Democratic and has backed Kerry “since I first started seeing him on TV.”

Another key issue was the situation in Iraq, which she described as “whole big mess.”

Gerald Brice, 64, also of Hamiton County said he voted for Bush. The retired Navy veteran said he “lost about eight friends” in the Vietnam War and Kerry “ought to be in prison” because of his anti-war activity after his service.

Brice said Bush has made America safer.

“He’s made some mistakes but nobody is perfect,” he said.

Congressional incumbents all looked safe in Tennessee. Only first-term Democrat Lincoln Davis faces serious opposition, with a repeat of his 2002 race against Republican Janice Bowling.

In the state Legislature, Republicans hoped to win control of the state Senate, needing only two seats to flip the Democrats’ 18-15 majority. The Democrats’ 54-45 margin in the House seemed more secure.

——-

Bush carried Tennessee four years ago with 51.1 percent of the vote, compared to Gore’s 47.3 percent.

Many thought Gore would win in his home state in 2000, and he was roundly criticized for taking the state for granted and not campaigning until it became apparent he might lose.

This year, both candidates largely ignored Tennessee on the campaign trail.

Bush and Kerry both visited in August to woo veterans at the American Legion convention in Nashville, but even those visits were targeted at a more national audience.

Before Bush won in 2000, the state had voted for Democrat Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996.

It went to Republicans in the three elections before that, once to George H.W. Bush and twice to Reagan. Carter carried the state in 1976, following a huge victory in Tennessee for Republican Richard Nixon in 1972.