NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Former state Rep. Joe Carr, who in August won 41 percent of the vote in his primary challenge of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, says he is mulling a bid for chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press first reported that Carr was considering running against current Chairman Chris Devaney for the job because of what he called a "growing and unsettling division within the Republican Party."

Devaney told the paper that he considers it a "disqualifier" for Carr to have refused to endorse Alexander in the general election.

Meanwhile, former congressional candidate Lenda Sherell said Monday she is considering a bid for Democratic Party chairwoman. Other candidates include former state Senate candidate May Mancini of Nashville and former state Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville.

Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, www.timesfreepress.com

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