Populism, the economy and the war in Iraq are all key themes in the local election for Tennessee's 5th District, and they cross party lines, according to election data and campaign literature.

Incumbent Democrat Jim Cooper is running against Republican Gerard Donovan for the United States House of Representatives.

Cooper, a Rhodes scholar and Harvard Law alum, is son of former Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper. According to Cooper's campaign, he advocates responsible government spending and free trade.

Though Donovan is running as a Republican, his campaign maintains he is "an alternative" and not a career or partisan politician. Donovan says he is just like the average voter and was hurt by the "horrible job done in Washington," according to his campaign's Web site.

Democrat Robert Tuke, Republican Lamar Alexander and six independent candidates are running for the U.S. Senate.

According to Tuke's campaign, he is a marine and, similar to Donovan's campaign, not a "career" politician. In a letter to voters, which can be found on his campaign's Web site, he promises to "giver power back to ordinary Tennessee families." In 1994, Tuke ran for Al Gore's empty seat when Gore was elected Vice President, but was defeated by Republican attorney and actor Fred Thompson.

Incumbent candidate Alexander, a Vanderbilt almnus, was previously the 45th governor of Tennessee and the U.S. Secretary of Education for George H.W. Bush. He is the only Tennessean ever to be popularly elected both governor and U.S. Senator. In his last gubernatorial campaign, Alexander famously "walked" 1,000 miles across Tennessee in his iconic red plaid shirt.

Incumbent Republican David B. Hawk is running against Democrat Casey Nicholson for the state Senate.

Two amendments to the Metropolitan Charter will also be placed on the Davidson County ballot, according to the county's Election Commission. The first will require that the Director of Finance and the Mayor submit the forms necessary for the preparation of the proceeding year's budget no later than March 1 and May 1, respectively, both dates later than previous year's deadlines. The second will require that any person elected mayor, vice-mayor, district councilman or councilman-at-large will not be eligible to run again if they have served one and one-half consecutive 4-year terms. It would also clarify that the offices of district councilman and councilman-at-large are two separate offices.