The Tri-Star State

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker left Washington, D.C., earlier this month in the middle of a government shutdown and, once again, he criticized President Donald Trump. In a phone interview with WPLN’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Corker blamed Trump for the shutdown.

Gov. Bill Haslam wraps up eight years in office at the end of this week. His tenure has been marked by some nationally recognized successes — like boosting college enrollment — and one big defeat: the failure of his Medicaid expansion plan, Insure Tennessee.

Earlier this week, we aired a profile of incoming House Speaker Glen Casada . The position gives the Franklin Republican broad powers to shape the direction of the state legislature — on everything from what bills come up for votes to how lawmakers investigate and police misconduct.

The new legislative session begins on Jan. 8, and the Tennessee House of Representatives will choose its top leader. Glen Casada of Franklin was picked by the GOP Caucus as its nominee. And, because there’s a Republican supermajority, he’s expected to easily win the position.

For the first time in 30 years, Tennessee will start a legislative session without Republican Rep. Beth Harwell.

Tennesseans bucked a couple of longtime trends last week when they elected Marsha Blackburn. Not only is she the state's first female U.S. senator. Voters statewide also showed a clear preference for a Republican who embodies what could be called "the tea party wing" of the GOP.

Throughout this year's campaign, we've been interviewing the candidates for statewide office. This week, we talk to Phil Bredesen, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

After more than a year of campaigning, it's finally time for Tennesseans to make their selections for governor and U.S. senator. And election officials are expecting a big surge in interest when early voting starts this week. Nashville Public Radio's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán and Chas Sisk have been tracking the campaigns. They joined host Jason Moon Wilkins to discuss where both races stand.

The polls show Tennessee's Senate race between Congressman Marsha Blackburn and former Gov. Phil Bredesen is neck and neck. That makes events like last week's debate at Cumberland University all the more crucial. During the debate Bredesen and Blackburn highlighted some important differences as they tried to make their final cases to voters. WPLN's Chas Sisk and Sergio Martínez-Beltrán have been covering the race, and they sat down with Jason Moon Wilkins to talk about why this race is taking on

One of the first major polls of the Tennessee governor’s race shows a pretty sizeable advantage for the Republican nominee. But it also highlights a question being asked across the state: Who are these guys? A recent poll found that more than a quarter of likely voters are either unsure about or have never even heard of Williamson County businessman Bill Lee. Nearly a third are unfamiliar with former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.