By Rachel Kapochunas, CQ Staff

Tennessee Democrats are searching for a new recruit to challenge Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander in 2008, after their only active candidate in the race announced Tuesday that he has decided not to run.

Democrat Mike McWherter — the businessman son of Ned McWherter, Tennessee’s governor from 1987 to 1995 — said the efforts required to stage a Senate campaign were too great for him at this time.

“The reality is: The demands of raising millions of dollars in short order and running an intense 12-month campaign simply are not in the best interests of my family right now,” McWherter said in a written statement Tuesday. He pledged to support the Senate nominee ultimately chosen by his party.

McWherter filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) just last month to begin raising money for his “exploratory” campaign effort.

Despite his decision to pass on the race, CQ Politics is holding its rating at Republican Favored rather than moving it to Safe Republican. This is mainly because Tennessee remains one of the few Southern states where Democrats maintain a strong foothold. Five of the state’s nine House members are Democrats, and Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen was easily re-elected to a second term in 2006.

But Democratic strategists will now have to scramble to draw a viable candidate who could run competitively against Alexander, who enters his bid for a second Senate term with significant advantages. Alexander is one of the most familiar political figures in the state, having served as governor from 1979 to 1987, as chief executive of Tennessee’s state university system and as U.S. Education secretary from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush. He also unsuccessfully sought the 1996 and 2000 Republican presidential nominations.

The Democrats also face a daunting problem in shrinking Alexander’s big fundraising advantage. Alexander, who currently has no competition in the Republican primary, reported raising nearly $2 million from January through September and had nearly $1.5 million left on hand as of Sept. 30.

Alexander announced this week that he intends to vie for conference chairman, the third-ranking position among Senate Republicans. After the 2006 election, Alexander sought the second-ranking position of minority whip, but was edged out by Mississippi’s Trent Lott — a former Senate majority leader whose surprise announcement Monday that he will soon resign from Congress has sparked another shake up in the GOP leadership.

With McWherter out, state Democratic Party spokesman Wade Munday told CQ Politics that the attentions of party officials have returned to Bob Tuke — a Vietnam veteran and former state Democratic chairman — and Nashville lawyer Kevin Doherty. Both Democrats had previously indicated an interest in running for Senate but deferred to McWherter.

Democrats were working together to avoid a competitive primary that could drain candidates’ resources and hinder the nominee’s ability to compete against Alexander in the general election. Munday said he expected Doherty and Tuke to decide between themselves who will now run for the nomination.

“Either of those candidates would provide a cogent message on why Tennesseeans should vote Democratic in 2008,” Munday said. “They have the greatest appeal for Democrats and independent-minded voters and even for Republicans who are just tired of the way things are done in Washington and the establishment that Lamar Alexander has been a part of from the beginning.”

Munday conceded that the nominee will have some ground to make up because of the later start, but not enough to cause concern. “They will have a more frenetic fundraising pace then they would have previously, but it’s not insurmountable,” Munday said.

Though a candidacy by Tuke or Doherty is highly likely, additional prominent Democrats who have not completely ruled themselves out include 4th District Rep. Lincoln Davis , Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell and former state Rep. Kim McMillan, an aide to Gov. Bredesen.

Candidates have until April 3 to qualify for the August primary.