>>14796937the republican establishment in tennessee state politics goes back way farther than 30 years, farther back than anywhere else in the south.
eastern TN, where the republican state political machine is based out of, has been a holdout of republicanism for literal centuries. they almost seceded from the CSA over it. from the end of reconstruction to pre-civil rights act 1964, eastern TN would elect some of the only GOP officials in the whole of the region. when the south finally started voting republican at large in the 80s, they had the legacy, seniority and control of the resources, and didn't just let former democrats walk in and act like nothing happened like a lot of the rest of the south did. most of the infrastructure is still in chattanooga/knoxville, only recently has nashville made headway in state politics just due to sheer numbers advantage, and memphis is way behind the times because it's still firmly blue.
