You didn't mention what kind of area you want. Urban, rural, suburbs, or something else? Do you have school-age kids, need access to certain facilities, want to see sports, etc?
If you want to live in a city, Knoxville is probably as good as it gets in TN. Nashville and Memphis are solidly liberal-run cities, with Chattanooga being surprisingly liberal.
Suburban areas around any city are usually solidly conservative. When my wife and I moved up from Atlanta-area 16 years ago, we actually got up early in the morning so we could drive into Nashville so we could see what commuting to work would be like. At the time, that sold us on Wilson County versus other areas. Do your homework and you can avoid a lot of problems.
And there IS a cure for Commifornia influence: teach people about actions and consequences! All government programs are some form of vote-buying to get support from one group at the expense of the general public.