Barnes defeats Kurita's write-in bid

By Theo Emery, The Tennessean

In a bitter intra-party battle, Attorney Tim Barnes defeated his state Senate opponent, incumbent Sen. Rosalind Kurita, in a closely watched and fiercely fought election on Tuesday.

Barnes, an attorney, beat Kurita 83 percent to 17 percent, easily defeating her write-in bid to keep her seat representing Senate District 22.

Barnes said he was pleased with the victory and surprised by the wide margin.

"My opponent was running a very aggressive and organized write-in campaign," he said. "It was something that I did not take lightly."

The race proved to be high drama after Democratic Party officials overturned Kurita's 19-vote primary win in August and nominated Barnes in her place.

Kurita accused her own party of "stealing" the election and vowed to fight on with a write-in bid. She also sued in federal court; her appeal of the suit's dismissal is pending.

The contest has garnered substantial attention because of Kurita's controversial role in electing Republican Ron Ramsey as Senate speaker in early 2007. It has also attracted criticism of the Democrats for throwing out the primary results.

The outcome of the race will not affect control of the Senate, because the GOP gained three seats on Tuesday, solidifying the party's majority. The party also gained a majority in the House.

Kurita, who has been in the Senate since 1996, had been widely expected to win an easy victory over Barnes in the primary.

Instead, the election was a near upset, with Barnes coming within 19 votes of winning. After the votes were certified, Barnes challenged the outcome, citing voting irregularities, crossover voting and dirty tricks.

State party officials voided the election and sent it back to a three-county convention of party officials to decide. They overwhelmingly nominated Barnes.

Barnes will be joining the legislature amid a seismic shift in the party politics of the General Assembly, as Republicans strengthen control in the Senate and gain a majority in the House.

He said he was not worried about the political environment he was entering, saying that he intended to represent the citizens of Senate District 22 regardless of the legislative leadership.

Contact Theo Emery at 615-726-4889 or temery@tennessean.com.