A top Republican strategist says a 308-vote victory in a heavily GOP state Senate district should serve as a wakeup call for the state party.
The contest was narrowly won by State Rep. Mark Pody, a main sponsor of unsuccessful bills seeking to rescind the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same sex marriage and to require students to use restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificates.
While President Donald Trump carried the six counties northeast of Nashville by 48 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton last year, Pody prevailed over little-known Democrat Mary Alice Carfi on Tuesday by just 2.6 percentage points.
Republican operative Ward Baker says the result should serve as "a clear example of why we can't take anything for granted."
