2006 TN Senate Race:

Victims Rights Activist Endorses Bryant's Senate Bid, September 07, 2005
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Ed Bryant, a former federal prosecutor and four-term Congressman, announced that leading victims rights activist Rebecca Easley has agreed to serve as honorary chairman of his Law Enforcement Leadership Council as Bryant continues to campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Bill Frist of Tennessee. In 1977, Easley’s 24-year-old sister Deborah Groseclose was brutally assaulted, raped and murdered by two hit men, Philip Michael Britt and Ronald Rickman, hired...

A Killer Campaign, September 06, 2005
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s Senate campaign has given $1,000 to a Chicago man accused of involuntary manslaughter, reports the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. And this just weeks after Ford's congressional staff was found to have sent a letter to a Memphis parole board signed by Ford supporting the parole of a vicious killer....

More from Lunch With Kurita: Working for a Living, August 30, 2005
Sharon Cobb has emailed, but not yet posted, a partial transcript up of yesterday's bloggers' lunch with state senator and U.S. Senate candidate Rosalind Kurita. Parts of it seem more like a paraphrase to me, but this part, where Kurita is asked to draw the biggest distinction between herself and rival candidate Harold Ford Jr., seems accurate:KURITA: I know what it means to work hard for a living. I have worked for everything I have....

Kurita: Former Lawmakers Should Be Banned from Lobbying Forever, August 29, 2005
State Sen. Rosalind Kurita, a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, said lawmakers at the state and federal level should be forbidden permanently from becoming lobbyists after they leave office, and pledged to propose such legislation in the U.S. Senate if she's elected. Kurita also said two sitting state senators who have been indicted for allegedly accepting bribes should resign "if they're guilty," and announced her proposals for sweeping...

Kurita Launches More Blog Ads, August 26, 2005
On the same day that U.S. Rep. Harold Ford lashed out at "right wing attack blogs" after they discussed his recent gaffe involving a letter that seemed to encourage the parole board to set a murderer free, his rival for the Democratic nomination to replace Bill Frist in the U.S. Senate showed again that she is far more savvy about the blogosphere than he is. State Sen. Rosalind Kurita launched a second wave of Internet...

Blogging New Ground, August 25, 2005
A story in yesterday's Nashville City Paper looked at the role blogs are playing in the 2006 Senate race in Tennessee....

Harold Ford Jr. says, "The buck stops with my staff", August 25, 2005
In 1977, 24-year-old Deborah Groseclose was raped, stabbed, strangled and left to die in the horrible summer heat in the trunk of her own car. Phillip Michael Britt and Ronald Rickman were hired by William Groseclose, the husband of Deborah Groseclose, to carry out the murder. Groseclose and Rickman initially were sentenced to death after their first trial, but in a new trial in 1999 they were convicted again and sentenced to life in prison....

We Don't Know Who is Winning - Except it Isn't Corker, August 19, 2005
In the race for the GOP nomination to replace Bill Frist in the U.S. Senate, the Van Hilleary campaign has released new poll numbers showing Hilleary with a big lead over fellow former congressman Ed Bryant. Other polls have shown the opposite. Who is really ahead? I don't know. It would be interesting to see the polling data below the top line - did Hilleary's pollster get a good statewide sample, or did he poll...

Like School in the Summer Time, August 15, 2005
Blake Wylie :Liberal blogger Sharon Cobb is scolding Harold Ford, Jr. today for blowing her off over the weekend ...and rightly so. He was supposed to have a quick phone interview with her, but his press secretary said he couldn't make the time due to "family issues" and never got back with her on Sunday. Interestingly enough, she notes that he apparently left an event on Saturday using that same excuse but kept showing up...

Bryant On Justice Sunday, Kelo and the Main Reason He Ought to Be Tennessee's Next U.S. Senator, August 15, 2005
I had a chance to talk to former U.S. Rep. Ed Bryant, who is now running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, after Justice Sunday 2 yesterday, and had the presence of mind to pull out my little pocket digital audio recorder and capture part of the conversation. I've owned that little Sony recorder for half a year and carried it with me a lot but never remember to use it. At any rate, here...

Political Bloggers' Lunch With Sen. Kurita, August 10, 2005
Are you a Tennessee blogger who specializes in writing about state or national politics? If so, you may be invited to a special "bloggers' lunch" August 29 with state Sen. Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville. Kurita, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, has agreed to take questions and engage in a discussion with bloggers regarding state and national policy issues and politics....

Coffee Clash: Where Does Ford Stand on Workers' Rights?, August 08, 2005
U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. is hosting a "coffee" for supporters in the Nashville area this coming Saturday (Aug. 13) at the SEIU union hall in East Nashville. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is one of three large labor unions that recently withdrew from the AFL-CIO. Will Ford's appearance at the SEIU's union hall sit well with the local AFL-CIO? A bigger question is this: Does Ford's appearance at the SEIU hall indicate...

Harold Ford Jr., Spammer - Update, August 07, 2005
Two days ago I mentioned that I was receiving unwanted and unsolicited email from Harold Ford Jr.'s Senate campaign. A few readers commented that they also are recieving emails from the Ford campaign that they did not request, subscribe to or sign up for. Now, from one reader, comes a suggestion of how the Ford campaign may be spamming people with emails they didn't subscribe to:I too get mail from the Ford campaign and I...

Harold Ford Jr., Spammer, August 05, 2005
I received via email today a mass-email newsletter from the Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. In other words, spam - as I didn't request it nor sign up for his newsletter. Ford ought to tell his campaign to stop spamming people. I clicked the unsubscribe link. I also clicked "Report Phishing" and "Report Spam" on my Gmail account....

Attack of the Stepford Fans, August 05, 2005
Chris Jackson, the youngster behind the pro-Harold Ford Jr. blog, where he essentially repeats Ford campaign materials and talking points, now wants to organize an astroturfing campaign on Ford's behalf. Ford supporters to respond to attacks on Ford in any media, including blogs, where they would post comments defending Ford. Jackson does not allow critics of Ford to post comments on his pro-Ford blog. Jay Bush has the details....

No I Won't! Yes I Will!, August 05, 2005
U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker refused to sign a pledge opposing a state income tax back in 1993 when he was considering running for governor. But now that he's running for the U.S. Senate, he will sign a pledge opposing higher taxes. What does Bob Corker really stand for?...

Corker's No Reagan, But..., August 03, 2005
Is former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, now running for the U.S. Senate, a Reaganite conservative? Nathan Moore says yes. Jay Bush, Matt White and Rob Huddleston disagree. Corker insists he is a conservative Republican - but if your campaign is focused on trying convince conservative Republicans that you're one of them, despite your record of raising taxes, supporting abortion rights, and holding fundraisers for Democrats, you have a problem. Corker's no Reagan. He's a moderate...

Sponge Bob, July 29, 2005
Chattanooga Pulse, that city's alt-weekly paper, has put Senate candidate Bob Corker on its cover this week. Well, sort of......

Money Talks, July 28, 2005
Blogging for Bryant dissects a press release from the Van Hilleary campaign touting Hilleary as the consensus conservative candidate in the 2006 Senate race because of his fundraising success. Except, er, Bryant is actually doing much better than Hilleary in the fundraising department. Read the whole thing....

Troubles at Home?, July 27, 2005
Memphis Mike Hollihan says Harold Ford Jr. is having a bit of political trouble in his own backyard. ... Jay Bush has some related thoughts here....

Is Harold Ford Jr. Inevitable?, July 22, 2005
Chris Jackson, the young blogger behind the new pro-Harold Ford Jr. blog, emailed me to inquire as to where he might find the latest fundraising totals from state Sen. Rosalind Kurita, who is opposing Ford's bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in Tennessee. I suggested he check with the Federal Election Commission. Then I checked myself. Kurita's second-quarter numbers aren't posted yet, but through March 31, 2005, she had raised $256,925, and spent just $15,373...

Why Corker Didn't Immediately Criticize Kelo, July 20, 2005
State Rep. Chris Clem, R-Lookout Mountain, provides some insight into why U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker may have decided to speak out against the Supreme Court's recent Kelo decision, which granted government the power to take private property for any reason it desires, and give it to another private owner. Clem writes:Bob Corker's recent comment on the Kelo decision may have had something to do with events in Chattanooga on Monday, July 18th. Ed Bryant...

Corker Speaks Out - Finally - on the Kelo Decision, July 20, 2005
Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, running for the U.S. Senate, has - finally - revealed his view on the controversial Supreme Court decision in Kelo v New London which effectively gutted 200-plus years of constitutional protection of private property rights in America. But not to BillHobbs.com, which has repeatedly emailed Corker to invite him to address Kelo on this site as every other candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee has already done. Corker responded...

Stepford Fans, July 17, 2005
Chris D. Jackson, Vice Chairman of the Lawrence County Democratic Party, and a big fan of U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., has started a pro-Ford blog. Jackson emails: "The Ford campaign now has its own support blog: http://haroldfordjr2006.blogspot.com." In one post, Jackson notes a recent article published here in BillHobbs.com the online magazine titled "Harold Ford Casts a Vote Against Civil Rights," in which I noted that Ford had voted against legislation curbing Kelo that...

Yeah. But What About the Issues.?, July 17, 2005
The Tennessean reports on fundraising data from most of the candidates running for the U.S. Senate seat that Sen. Bill Frist will vacate after 2006, and focuses on the one candidate from each party that the paper will most certainly eventually endorse, Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. Now if they would only report on Ford's endorsement of the recent Supreme Court decision, in Kelo v. New London, giving government the unhindered right...

The Miami Connection, July 15, 2005
Memphis Mike Hollihan has done some digging into the Miami connection to the Operation Tennessee Waltz investigation that resulted in five sitting and former lawmakers being indicted on federal corruption charges. Is there a tie to U.S. Senate candidate and current high-living congressman Harold Ford Jr.? Hollihan raises the questions and asks if the media will find the answers. In the meanwhile, as it appears this blog now has caught the attention of the...

Bryant Leads Race For Senate Nomination, July 14, 2005
The Ed Bryant for Senate campaign has released the results of a poll that shows Bryant leading in the race for the GOP nomination, and also shows that fellow Senate candidate Van Hilleary would lead in the race for the GOP nomination if he were running for governer instead of the U.S. Senate. Here is the Bryant campaign's press release......

Some Advice for Harold Ford Jr., July 14, 2005
Somebody ought to tell U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. that the way to pick up the military vote and the friends-and-family-of-military vote and the pro-military vote is most assuredly not to call our troops who liberated Afghanistan and Iraq - and are helping those two nations struggle toward stable, free democracy - "Oil Cops." Oh, wait, somebody already did. Here's an assessment of Rep. Ford from one of the Tennesseans currently serving in Iraq who...

Why is Corker Silent on the Kelo Decision?, July 13, 2005
One of the current mysteries of the campaign in Tennessee for the 2006 election to the U.S. Senate is why GOP candidate Bob Corker - former mayor of Chattanooga and a wealthy real estate developer - has said nothing publicly about the controversial decision handed down three weeks ago by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Kelo v. New London. That decision, you may recall, gave government the right to take property from one...

Corker Silent on Kelo, July 12, 2005
Nearly three weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Kelo v. New London granting state and local governments the right to take private property and give it to another owner for any reason at all, former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker has remained publicly silent on the issue....

Actions Speak Louder Than Words, July 12, 2005
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. says he supports private property ownership rights - but his votes and record as a congressman don't show it. The League of Private Property Voters, which monitors federal legislation affecting private property rights, consistently gives Ford very low marks. The LPPV reports that Ford supported the interests of the League of Private Property Voters 13 percent of the time in 2000, 17 percent of the time in 2001-2002, and 17...

Ford Responds on Kelo Questions, July 12, 2005
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr, D-Memphis, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, has answered the six questions I posed on June 23 regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London. I posed the six questions on this blog and also in an email to all six candidates running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, promising to post their responses verbatim. Ford's respond is virtually identical to his op-ed published a...

Harold Ford Casts A Vote Against Civil Rights, July 11, 2005
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Kelo v. New London, giving government the right to take private property and give it to another private owner, such as a real estate developer, for any reason - even if the property is not "blighted" - has done something rather amazing: It has made allies of stalwart liberal U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and staunch conservatives in Congress. The Wall Street Journal reports:In 1954 the Supreme Court...

Ford Backpedals on Kelo Praise, July 10, 2005
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. appears to be backtracking on his statement that the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London - which is widely viewed as eviscerating private property rights in America - was a "positive" decision. In an op-ed published in Saturday's Chattanooga Times-Free Press, Ford - who praised Kelo two weeks ago during a Nashville radio show - now says the decision went "too far." Ford submitted the op-ed in response...

Ford Jr.'s Colleagues "Stunned" By His Approval of Kelo Decision Allowing Goverment to Take Your Property and Give It To Someone Else, July 10, 2005
Columnist Robert Novak reports that U.S. Rep. Harold Ford's Jr.'s endorsement of the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London "stunned" his Congressional colleagues. Ford, D-Memphis, currently running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, praised Kelo, which gives government virtually unlimited power to take private property and transfer it to another owner such as a private real estate developer for any reason, as a "positive" decision. Four other candidates running for the U.S. Senate...

Corked, July 06, 2005
It's been almost two weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Kelo v. New London that has made it possible for your local government to take your private property - your home or your business or your church - and give it to a developer who will build something that will generate more tax dollars. The day that ruling came out I posted a list of questions and emailed those questions...

Harold Ford Jr. Votes Against Private Property Rights Protection, July 01, 2005
The Washington Post reports that the U.S.House of Representatives approved legislation yesterday expanding protections for private property owners against government use of eminent domain powers to seize private property.The House voted yesterday to use the spending power of Congress to undermine a Supreme Court ruling allowing local governments to force the sale of private property for economic development purposes. Key members of the House and Senate vowed to take even broader steps soon. Last week's...

Questions For Corker, June 28, 2005
The Ed Bryant for Senate campaign is continuing to hammer rival Republican candidate Bob Corker for his ties to the most liberal labor union in the nation with a new press release asking two key questions that Corker - who has been fund-raising heavily among Democrats rather than Republicans - has so far failed to answer. The questions: What has Mr. Corker done to become the only Republican candidate for federal office in America supported...

Harold Ford Jr. Calls Kelo Decision "A Positive", June 27, 2005
Harold Ford Jr., a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, has endorsed the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London, allowing local governments to seize provate property and give it to another private owner for purposes of econonmic development and to increase the government's tax revenue. Blogging for Bryant has Ford's quote:"I've always believed individual rights are a big thing..... but, I find value in the court's decision. As long as people...

Kurita Responds on Kelo Questions, June 27, 2005
Tennessee state Rep. Rosalind Kurita, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, has answered the six questions I posed Thursday regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London. I posed the six questions on this blog and also in an email to all six candidates running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, promising to post their responses verbatim. Kurita chose to respond to all six questions in the form of a...

Bryant Responds on Kelo Questions, June 24, 2005
Former U.S. Rep. Ed Bryant, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, has answered the six questions I posed Thursday regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London. I posed the six questions on this blog and also in an email to all six candidates running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, promising to post their responses verbatim. Bryant chose to respond to all six questions in the form of a...

Hilleary Responds on Kelo Questions, June 24, 2005
Former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, has answered the six questions I posed Thursday regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. New London. I posed the six questions on this blog and also in an email to all six candidates running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, promising to post their responses verbatim. Hilleary chose to respond to the six questions in Q&A format. Here is...

Bryant Campaign Responds on Kelo Decision, June 23, 2005
Jeff Vanness of the Ed Bryant for U.S. Senate campaign sent the following email regarding Bryant and today's atrocious Kelo deicison eviscerating private-property rights.Folks, Something a little more official from Ed is coming on the Supreme Court's ruling today but here are my thoughts in the meantime and a reminder of an endorsement Ed earned in 2002. The Supreme Court's ruling today on private property rights undercores the need to elect a proven, solid conservative...

Questions for the Senate Candidates, June 23, 2005
Currently in Tennessee there are five declared candidates and one undeclared candidate for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated after 2006 by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. They include four Republicans - wealthy former real estate developer Bob Corker, who as Mayor of Chattanooga was involved in redeveloping that city's waterfront; former U.S. Representative and constitutional law scholar Ed Bryant; former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary; and current state Rep. Beth Harwell - and...

Liberal Labor Union Pops Cash for Corker, June 23, 2005
TeamGOP.org has an interesting look at the left-wing labor union backing Bob Corker's candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Corker is running as Republican. Yet here's more Democrat/left-wing liberal money flowing into the campaign coffers of the tax-raising former Mayor of Chattanooga who is now trying to run as a conservative....

Another Report From the Heart of the VRWC, Tennessee Chapter, June 20, 2005
Jay Bush has a blog report from the Tennessee GOP's 2005 Statesmen's Dinner and after-dinner reception hosted by Senate candidate Ed Bryant, where state Rep. Beth Harwell won a straw poll in which voters were asked to pick who they most would like to see challenge Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2006. Van Hilleary was a fairly close second....

Statesmen Dinner, June 17, 2005
Looks like I might soon have the chance to meet Rob Huddleston, Knoxville's best new political blogger, as we'll both be at the Tennessee Republican Party's 2005 Statesmen Dinner Saturday night. I won't be live-blogging the event out of courtesy to my wife, who would be embarrassed, and my father-in-law, a former state party chairman who provided the tickets. But I may sneak my camera in, and a tiny digital audio recorder, and post some...

The Too-Cautious Candidate, June 14, 2005
The guys over at Blogging For Bryant are analyzing U.S. Senate candidate Van Hilleary's strategy for explaining why his loss in the governor's race in 2002 proves he is electable to the Senate in 2006. Judging from Hilleary's message at the White County GOP's Davy Crockett dinner on Saturday, Hilleary is very worried about his distinction as the first Republican to lose statewide in Tennessee since before 1994. And it was a rather historic loss....

Ford Fans Spam Blogs, May 26, 2005
Adam Groves reveals that Tennessee's political blogs have been hit with a wave of "astroturf" comments supporting U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate. The comments all follow the same talking points but are postedunder different names to give the (false) impression that they are being posted by a large number of Ford supporters. Called astroturf because they are an attempt to falsely protray a grassroots swell of support...

Ford Joins Race, May 25, 2005
State Sen. John Ford's nephew has filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate. Harold Ford Jr., son of former Congressman Harold Ford, whose family has dominated Memphis politics for decades, will give up his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to run for the Senate. He's probably hoping nobody will mistake him for his more famous uncle, who has been in the news lately for his financial wizardry, his leadership on legislative ethics,...

Senate Race Roundup, May 20, 2005
Blogging for Bryant has a great link-filled round-up of news and commentary from the GOP side of the 2006 Senate Race....

Run Hilleary Run! #2, May 19, 2005
Rob Huddleston wants Van Hilleary to run for governor....

Corker, Closet Democrat, May 19, 2005
Here's an update to the story of Tennessee Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker's decision to hold a fund-raiser hosted by Nashville businessman Clayton McWhorter, a well-known Democrat. According to a check of the Federal Election Commission's records, McWhorter has given $50,250 - from his personal account or from business accounts he controls - to Democratic candidates and Democratic Party organizations since 1994, mostly to Democrats running for Senate or Governor in Tennessee but also...

Run Hilleary Run!, May 19, 2005
Mark Rose is dispensing campaign advice, and giving Van Hilleary a game plan for a successful campaign against incumbent Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. But Hilleary isn't running for governor, you say - he's running for the U.S. Senate. I know. So does Mark. But Mark thinks Hilleary ought to switch races and run against Bredesen - and he lays out both a sensible rationale for the switch and game plan for defeating Bredesen. I have...

Questioning Corker 2, May 17, 2005
As reported in the post immediately prior to this one, former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2006, has scheduled a $1,000-a-head fundraiser hosted by well-known Tennessee Democrat Clayton McWhorter. The fundraiser is raising eyebrows among conservative Republicans across Tennessee, as it only adds fuel to the notion that Corker is more Democrat than Republican despite his campaign's claims that he is a conservative. His tax-raising...

Questioning Corker's "Conservative" Claim, May 17, 2005
Rob Huddleston has shredded a fundraising invite from the 2006 Senate campaign of former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. Here's an excerpt:Despite his claims to the contrary, Mr. Corker is not a conservative. I have dedicated a good portion of my life working for conservative campaigns, on Capitol Hill, and with aspects of the National Rifle Association of America, so it is safe to say that I know a conservative when I see one. Several claims...

Don't Blame Me, I Voted For..., May 16, 2005
A long time ago , way back in 1987, a wealthy healthcare executive whose only political experience had been losing a race for a seat in the Massachusetts legislator set out to become Mayor of Nashville. He lost. Big. Four years later, after four years of lousy leadership by Mayor Bill Boner (yep! his real name!) that ranged from incompetent to embarrassing, that same wealthy healthcare executive ran again and won as voters' remorse kicked...

Fuzzy Math, April 27, 2005
In the race for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat coming vacant after 2006, former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary has claimed to be the leader in fundraising. Ah, but he's using fuzzy math, says Blogging For Bryant:According to his report 57 individual contributors have already maxed out -- meaning they contributed $4000 to the Hilleary campaign. Federal election law will only allow an individual to contribute $2000 toward the primary and $2000 toward...

Losing Early, April 21, 2005
Roger Abramson, writing for the Nashville Scene, predicts that "Former Congressman Van Hilleary will sorely regret getting into next year's race to succeed U.S. Sen. Bill Frist."...

Former Hilleary Aide Endorses Bryant, April 14, 2005
This just in via email from the Ed Bryant For Senate campaign: Janice Bowling, the District Director for former 4th District Congressman Van Hilleary and who has twice earned the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District, today endorsed Ed Bryant’s campaign to succeed Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist who is not seeking reelection. Bowling’s endorsement of Bryant comes on the heels of a new statewide poll which showed Bryant with a 9-point lead over...

Bryant Says Corker's Record of Tax Hikes Is Hurting Him in Polls, April 06, 2005
The Ed Bryant for Senate campaign has taken note of a poll commissioned by likely Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr.,'s campaign, and pointed out that it is third straight poll in which former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker has shown poorly. The Ford poll, conducted March 22-24 by Global Strategy Group, shows Bryant with a nine-point lead over former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary and a 20-point lead over Corker, among likely Republican voters. The Bryant...

Poll Shows Bryant Would Beat Hilleary, Corker - and Ford, April 05, 2005
A poll reportedly commissioned by Congressman Harold Ford Jr.'s proto-Senate campaign poll shows him leading in the Democratic primary race that he hasn't even officially entered, and shows that in the Republican primary former Congressman Ed Bryant has a near double digit lead over former Congressman Van Hilleary, with Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker a very distant third, reports the TeamGOP.org blog. The poll also shows that, if the election was today, Ford would lose to...

Bredesen: I Was Beatable in '06, April 05, 2005
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said he would have lost the 2002 gubernatorial race if the Republicans had nominated former state Rep. Jim Henry instead of former congressman Van Hilleary, according to NewChannel 5 investigative political reporter Phil Williams. Williams said on a recent airing of the radio show Teddy Bart's Roundtable that in searching the files of former Gov. Don Sundquist he came across a note from Sundquist to presidential campaign advisor Karl Rove in...

Unreasonable, April 03, 2005
Blogging For Bryant highlights a conflict-of-interest issue involving U.S. Senate candidate Van Hilleary. I can't think of a good reason why Van Hilleary hasn't already resigned his position as a Republican Party national committeeman for Tennessee now that he's a declared candidate for the Senate. Come to think of it, there can't be a good reason....

Blogs To Set Pace in '06 Race, March 31, 2005
Frank Cagle believes blogs will set the pace in media coverage of the 2006 Senate race in Tennessee.The growth of weblogs and their growing audience has created a wild card in the arena of ideas, especially political ideas. The gatekeepers are still there, but the back door is open. The Tennessee elections of 2006 will be the first statewide elections in which critical mass has been achieved, so that established blogs, e-mail newsletters and websites...

"How'd That Work Out?", March 30, 2005
Say Uncle comments on U.S. Senate candidate Van Hilleary's new campaign website, noting that all it tells us is that Hilleary, who lost the 2002 gubernatorial race, will vote for conservative judges and that polls show Hilleary is in the lead 19 months before election day.You were also in the lead in that run for governor. How’d that work out? We want the issues, dude. Give us that or go home.It will be interesting to...

Wishful Thinking, March 29, 2005
The Memphis Flyer reports on some wishful thinking in the Democratic field for the 2006 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee....

The Electability Factor, March 28, 2005
Ed Byrant, candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, welcomed fellow former Republican congressman Van Hilleary to the race for the nomination today with a press release and a devastating PowerPoint titled Van Hilleary's Historic Statewide Loss in Perspective. It's a brutal and brutally effective retort to Hilleary, who recently claimed he was more "electable" than some other candidates in the Republican field. Message: Hilleary can't win. For my take on Hilleary, read this. Short...

Caution: Hilleary's Running, March 26, 2005
Former Congressman Van Hilleary, last seen losing the governorship in 2002 to a Democrat, has launched his campaign website for the 2006 Senate race. By the way, back in 2001 in the early stages of that Tennessee gubernatorial campaign I wrote a column urging Hilleary to make his campaign message much more clear regarding the state income tax. Democrat Phil Bredesen, I wrote then, "has figured out how to explain his opposition to a state...

Corker's Sundquist Problem, March 24, 2005
Ed Bryant, declared candidate for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, is trying to raise as much money as possible before the end of March, so it will show up on his first FEC disclosure. From his email:We have just 8 days to go before the cutoff for our first report of financial contributions to our campaign is here. And, as you know, these reports are used by the media and political pundits to handicap the...

Analyzing the Senate Race, March 18, 2005
Adam Groves has a pretty good analysis of the race for the 2006 GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee, a race hereafter to be known as "TennSen2006" on this blog....

Senate 2006: Harwell Radio Appearance, March 07, 2005
Tennessee state Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville, a likely candidate for the U.S. Senate seat that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist plans to vacate after 2006, was a guest on Teddy Bart's Roundtable, a radio show about politics and public policy produced by The Public Forum, last week. You can listen to the archived audio here....

Ford Jr. Launches Website, No Blog, February 28, 2005
Harold Ford Jr. has launched his campaign website for his run at the U.S. Senate seat being vacated after next year by Sen. Bill Frist. Adam Groves notes that Ford's standard-issue campaign website doesn't have a blog: "You would think after South Dakota politicans would get it." Incidentally, Groves blogs more comprehensively about Tennessee politics than I do. If you want the best coverage of Tennessee's tax and budget policy wars, HobbsOnline is where you...