Tom Leatherwood: Nobody’s Puppet
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 11:03 amRepublican candidate for Congress in the 7th District Tom Leatherwood writes in to put to bed any rumors or speculation that his campaign is about dirtying up Marsha Blackburn for a future run for Governor at the behest of another candidate:
I read with interest and amusement the speculation by Mr. Turnbow that I launched my campaign for Congress to advance some future candidate’s campaign for governor. Let me assure you that’s not the case.
As you may remember, my first campaign was in the 1992 Republican primary against the “unbeatable” TN State Sen. Leonard Dunavant. No one gave me much of a chance, but I decided to enter the race because Sen. Dunavant was a leading proponent of a state income tax. I felt he was wrong on the issue and that Republicans should hold their own accountable. I made my case to the party faithful and won.
Today I am concerned that Republicans in Washington have lost their way. Judging from Republican losses in the 2006 Congressional elections, most Americans agree. Our 7th District Representative has become part of Washington’s me-first culture. Her recent announcement of “accounting errors” is just the latest example. It’s bad enough to collect money from special interests to pay your family members, but losing track of hundreds of thousands of dollars due to “accounting errors” is inexcusable.
This year, as in 1992, I believe Republicans must hold their own accountable, and that’s the sole reason I’m running.
Regards,
Tom Leatherwood
