According to the Nashville Post, Democrat Mike McWherter, son of popular former Tennessee governor Ned, won't challenge Lamar Alexander in 2008. According to the story, he made the decision over the Thanksgiving holiday. This is bad news for those of us who were hoping Lamar! might be sent packing. I'm betting this decision has something to do with Lott's decision to leave the Senate and Lamar!'s decision to run for Lott's leadership position. McWherter might figure that a Senate minority whip would be hard to beat.
McWherter's web site is still up, so he either isn't prepared to make a public announcement, or the Post has jumped the gun.
Either way, if McWherter's out, there aren't a lot of other likely challengers to Alexander. According to the Post, "(s)ome Democratic insiders this morning have stated that they hope that Congressman Lincoln Davis (D-Pall Mall) would mount a challenge to Alexander, but he has long been identified as a possible contender for the 2010 governor's race."
I wouldn't be incredibly surprised to see Nashville's recently departed mayor Bill Purcell start sniffing around a job like that. I find it hard to believe that his political career is over.