FACTBOX: Tennessee and its February 5 primary

(Reuters) - Tennessee is among the 24 states that hold their presidential nominating contests on "Super Tuesday," February 5.

Following are a few facts about the Volunteer State:

* Both Republicans and Democrats award delegates on a proportional basis, and both primaries are open to independent voters. Polls close at 8 p.m. EST.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson dropped out of the Republican race on January 22 after his late-starting presidential bid failed to catch fire with voters.

* With Thompson out, recent polls show Arizona Sen. John McCain leading the Republican race with an average of 29 percent to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 26 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 23 percent. Among Democrats, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Illinois Sen. Barack Obama by an average of 47 percent to 34 percent.

* 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, also a former Tennessee senator, would have won the White House had he managed to carry his home state but the former swing state has tilted increasingly Republican in recent years.

* Tennessee is home to several important musical traditions. Nashville is the capital of country and gospel music, while Memphis, a hotbed of blues and jazz in the early 20th century, gave birth to rock'n'roll in the 1950s. The state's mountainous eastern region was an incubator for bluegrass.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Vicki Allen)

SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Secretaries of State, Almanac of American Politics, Real Clear Politics

(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)