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And this is why I worry for my state:

Ophelia Ford and State Sen. Kathryn Bowers were leading in early returns in state senate races where controversy and scandal were key players. Ford is leading fellow Democrat Stephen Haley in her repeat bid for the Dist. 29 seat, from which she was ousted after voter fraud allegations arose. In early voting, Ford has 9,323 and Haley 2,172 votes. The winner will face Republican Terry Roland Nov. 7. Ford, not accused of wrongdoing, had said the controversy would help her regain the seat vacated by her brother, John Ford, who stepped down last year after his indictment in the Tennessee Waltz public corruption probe. Bowers is the first lawmaker caught in the Tennessee Waltz net to deal with an election night. She pleaded not guilty to charges of accepting $11,500 in payments to influence legislation. She is leading in early returns with 6,916 votes to fellow Democrats Jennings Bernard’s 1,459, John A. Brown’s 1,141 and Steve Webster’s 2,773 for her long-held Dist. 33 Senate seat. The winner will go against Republican Michael Floyd in November.