August 7, 2004

Seven Down, One To Go

As I mentioned yesterday, three Tennessee state legislators (two Republicans, one Democrat) who supported the proposed state income tax were defeated during Thursday's primary election in Tennessee. The Tennessean today reports that, of the eight Republican state House members who voted for the income pushed by the Democratic leadership in the House two years ago, only one remains in office - Rep. Steve McDaniel.

It's worth noting that several Democrats who voted for the income tax also are no longer in office, either through defeat at the ballot box or because they decided to retire rather than face voters. Chief among the cowards: former state Sen. Bob Rochelle, who championed the income tax in the state Senate, then quit his re-election campaign in the middle of campaign season so the party could nominate a candidate who could credibly claim to be against the income tax. She lost, and Rochelle's seat in a Democratic-leaning district is now held by Republican Mae Beavers, who was one of the four Republican women who lead the opposition to the income tax. Rochelle, meanwhile, was appointed to a special commission studying the state's tax structure, where he continues to advocate for an income tax without having to be accountable to voters.