Hurley Ousts Ferguson
 <div class="source">Katie Hogin</div><div class="image-desc">Julia Hurley hit the campaign trail early on Election Day and was among the Republicans to claim victory in a nationwide sweep. She was elected to the state House of Representatives seat long held by Roane County's Dennis Ferguson</div><div class="buy-pic"><a href="http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/c2newbuyphoto.cgi?pub=062&amp;orig=hurley.jpg" target="_new">Buy this photo</a></div>

Hurley ousts Ferguson from longtime state House seat

By Damon Lawrence and Katie Hogin Roane County News

The Republican wave sweeping the country drowned Dennis Ferguson's career in the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday night.

The incumbent Democrat from Midtown lost to Lenoir City Republican Julia Hurley in the race for the 32nd District seat in the State House of Representatives.

“It's just a tide I couldn't stop,” Ferguson told supporters during his concession speech.

Hurley took the early and absentee vote and went on to defeat Ferguson by a final tally of 8,833 to 7,834.

“My main focus is jobs,” Hurley said at her victory party Tuesday in Harriman. “We have to bring jobs here right now.”

She thanked all of her supporters and said she's looking forward to working with Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Haslam.

“It didn't matter what I done,” Ferguson said. “It was not going to work this time.”

Hurley beats Ferguson

Greg Wilkerson News Herald


Julia Hurley, a Republican candidate from Lenoir City, beat incumbent Democratic candidate Dennis Ferguson for the Tennessee House of Representatives 32nd District Seat Tuesday night by 999 votes. Ferguson has been the state representative for that district for 18 years.


"We are humbled by the experience," Hurley said of her victory.


The 32nd District is primarily composed of Roane County, where Ferguson is from, though a portion is also in Lenoir City.


Hurley received 8,833 votes overall for the seat, to Ferguson's 7,834. In Loudon County, Hurley won with 852 votes to Ferguson's 505, and in Roane County she took in 7,981 votes to Ferguson's 7,329. "We are very appreciative of the voters and humbled by the vote," she said.


Her focus once in office will be economic recovery for the district. "My first focus is going to be job creation for District 32," she said.


Hurley mentioned six industrial parks in the district that need companies to move in and boost the economy.


The Tennessee House of Representatives 21st District seat, which covers the rest of Loudon County, was retained by Republican Jimmy Matlock who ran unopposed and received 11,992 votes.


State Senator Randy McNally from the 5th District was also reelected in an unopposed race, taking in 12,272 votes.


More than 82 percent of Loudon County's voters agreed with the majority of the state in electing Bill Haslam as the next governor. Haslam received 12,553 votes in Loudon County compared to 2,413 for the Democratic candidate Mike McWherter. Fourteen independent candidates for governor were also on the ballot, each receiving less than one percent of the vote in Loudon County.


The United States House of Representatives 2nd Congressional District went back to John J. Duncan Jr., who received 12,520 votes in Loudon County. The Democratic candidate Dave Hancock received 1,702 votes locally.

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11/3/10