Editing Byron Looper (section)

== 1998 political candidacies ==

In the August 1998 [[Partisan primary|primary]], Looper sought the Republican nominations for both [[Tennessee's 6th congressional district]] and [[Tennessee's 15th Senate district]].<ref name="WashPost23Oct98" /> He failed to obtain the congressional nomination, finishing third in a field of four candidates, but he was unopposed for the state senate nomination. This set up his campaign against incumbent Democratic State Senator [[Tommy Burks]].

Burks had represented Putnam County in the state legislature for 28 years, including four two-year terms in the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]] and five four-year terms in the Tennessee State Senate. A farmer and an old-style conservative [[Southern Democrat]], he was popular in his district. He usually won re-election with ease, and the 1998 campaign was expected to be no different.<ref name="WashPost23Oct98" />