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« Vote!* | Main | Nashvillians Gain Right to Vote on Property Tax Increases; Amendment Changes City Charter and Political Playing Field » November 8, 2006Popular, But Bredesen Had No Coattails
40 points! Yet he seems to have had very short coattails. Bredesen endorsed, raised funds and/or cut ads for six Democratic candidates challenging Republican incumbents, but Shree Pettigrew, Mary Parker, Bob Rochelle, Vince Springer, Mary Esther Bell and Fred Phillips all lost, most by large margins. In those six races: You have to wonder why Bredesen even endorsed Phillips, who resigned from the Department of Safety amid the promotions-for-campaign donations scandal in which troopers who donated to Bredesen's campaign got promotions. Make it seven Democrat challengers who lost despite Bredesen's help: Bredesen also held a fundraiser and made a campaign appearance for Democrat David Clark, who was attempting to unseat state Rep. Judd Matheny. Matheny won by a margin of 53-47. [Update from a reader comment -Make it eight Democrat challengers who lost despite Bredesen's help: Bredesen also cut ads for and endorsed Bruce Gibbs, the Democrat running against incumbent state Rep. Phillip Johnson in House district 78, a majority-Democrat district. Yet Johnson won by a 52-48 margin. Bredesen didn't even benefit a Democrat running in a majority-Democrat district in an anti-Republican year.] Bredesen even cut an ad for Harold Ford Jr., but Ford lost his bid for the U.S. Senate. The only race involving a Republican incumbent where Bredesen's active support may have helped the challenger: Democrat Lowe Finney, who by a slim margin defeated incumbent Republican state Sen. Don McLeary in west Tennessee. McCleary was targeted after switching parties last year Bredesen also worked for the Democratic candidates in two races for open seats in the state legislature. In one race, Bredesen-backed Clarksville banker Joe Pitts won a seat in the state House, defeating Republican Ken Takasaki, a Clarksville city councilman. In another race for the state House, Bredesen worked for Bob Bibb, the Democrat seeking an open House seat from Dickson. Bibb appears to have won a very narrow victory - by fewer than 200 votes out of more than 16,000 cast, over Republican Joshua G. Evans. Both seats were previously held by Democrats. Bottom line: Despite Bredesen's popularity with voters, they seem not to be swayed by his endorsements. (Snarky aside: Has anyone ever created a more boneheaded ad campaign for a state senate candidate than the braintrust at Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle created for Bob Rochelle? What idiot told Rochelle that most of his TV ads -which ran incessantly - should remind voters that he was the big proponent of the much-despised income tax a few years ago? The voters of the 17th district already knew that. The FRCR-created ads in which Rochelle called that a "mistake" and waved a meaningless "pledge" to not do it again merely served to make the income tax the central issue in the campaign. Rochelle was never going to win a race with that as the central issue. Thanks to FRCR, the voters of the 17th district finally got their chance to vote against the architect of the income tax, and they did so - in droves.) Proud to Back Jack Thanks also to Bryson for waging a tough campaign that forced Bredesen to address issues, such as illegal immigration, that Bredesen had preferred to ignore. I look forward to voting for Bryson for Congress in 2010 when U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn comes home to be governor. Congratulations also to new Congressman-elect Steve Cohen, who prevailed in the 9th district congressional race over the Ford family political machine. Yeah, Cohen's a liberal and I don't agree with him on much, but he's a straight-shooter who doesn't try to camoflauge his views in conservative rhetoric - and he defeated the same corrupt political family that Corker beat. Congratulations also to state Sen. Doug Henry for winning a 397th consecutive term in the state Senate - and a heartfelt thanks to Bob Krumm for running his campaign the way he did. The media often complains that campaigns are long on flash and short on substance, too much about ads and too little about issues. Krumm ran a campaign of issues, and the media - shamefully - ignored him. That's all for now. Posted in Campaign Season
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A few thoughts about Tuesday's election in Tennessee... First and foremost congratulations to Gov. Phil Bredesen, who won a second term by nearly 40 points.