Could She Go And Do It Again
Posted on September 25, 2008 at 7:26 amOne of the big factors which benefited Marsha Blackburn back in 2002 allowing her to win her congressional seat was that she ran as a Middle Tennessean in a West Tennessee heavy primary.
Three major candidates from the Memphis area of her sprawling district split that vote giving the election to her.
Frank Cagle argues that in a 2010 GOP Gubernatorial primary containing any combination of two potential east Tennessee candidates could result in a Blackburn win. Assuming, of course, Bill Frist is not a candidate.
[Bill Haslam] and his brother Jimmy and their friends played a major role in electing U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. They learned statewide fund-raising for political races at their father’s knee.
The problem for Haslam and Wamp is that they will split the East Tennessee vote and could lose to Middle-West Tennessee Congressman Marsha Blackburn.
Blackburn’s congressional district runs from the heavily Republican “collar counties” in suburban Nashville all the way to Shelby County. There are more Republican votes there than can be achieved in a two-candidate field in Republican East Tennessee.
Blackburn made her name as a state senator from Brentwood who opposed the income tax and was a darling of talk radio. But her goal has always been the governor’s office and she has been working toward it for years. Her only handicap would be her inability to raise the kind of money Wamp or Haslam could accrue. The Republican establishment does not care for her at all.
Also complicating the picture is Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, from the Tri-Cities. Should he run, it would further split the East Tennessee vote and also help Blackburn.
