CATCHING THE WAVE:

Challenge looms for Bart Gordon in Tennessee (JOSH KRAUSHAAR, 12/1/09 , Politico)

Republican state Sen. Jim Tracy told POLITICO he is “strongly considering” a challenge to Gordon and has already begun to put together a consulting team. He plans to make a final decision by January.

Tracy’s candidacy would significantly improve Republican prospects of picking up the politically competitive Middle Tennessee-based seat. In recent months, as the national environment has soured for Democrats, GOP recruiting has picked up against veteran Democrats like Gordon who haven’t faced a serious challenge in years. [...]

In a fast-growing district where John McCain won 62 percent of the vote in 2008, Tracy’s political background suggests that he could present challenges for the Democratic incumbent. He defeated a sitting Democrat to win his state Senate seat in 2004, becoming the first Republican to hold the seat. He currently represents about one-third of the congressional district’s population in Rutherford and Bedford counties.