Mike McWherter, a Democrat who had planned to challenge Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) next year, is expected to drop his Senate bid. Former state Democratic Party Chair Bob Tuke and Nashville insurance lawyer Kevin Doherty, both potential candidates for the seat themselves, say that they received calls from McWherter to inform them of his decision to pull out of the race.

This isn't good news for Democrats, who had hoped that McWherter, a wealthy businessman and the son of a popular former Governor, could use his deep pockets to make Alexander sweat. However, the race was always seen as a long shot.