Enough to give poltiical parties a heart attack, Dr. Frist

Tennessee shapes up as a key battleground state again this year with control of the Senate in the balance.

A Tennessee seat is in play because Senate Major Leader Bill Frist said he wouldn't seek re-election when he ran for the office (he didn't say at the time he had his eye on running for president, but, hey, nobody thought to ask).

Three "formers" (former House members Van Hilleary and Ed Brysant. and former 'Nooga Mayor Bob Corker) are duking it out to fly the Republican flag while Harold Ford Jr., who has token opposition in the Democratic primary, will have to have the political ring skills of Muhammad Ali to become the first black elected to the Senate from the Old South since Reconstruction.

We've posted podcasts with all four on KnoxNews and if you're trying to get a quick take on the majors, listen up: Ed Bryant, Bob Corker, Van Hilleary, and Harold Ford. If you're don't do Windows Media Player, you can get at them from RSS, Yahoo Podcasts or iTunes.

Tags: Politics | Senate Race | Elections | Campaign