Sen. Kyle Says Ramsey Can Resign If He Doesn’t Like Fundraising Rules
Posted on April 2, 2009 at 8:20 amThe Memphis state Senator on the Lt. Governor’s complains about not being able to raise funds for gubernatorial race during session:
“The governor himself can raise money,” Lt. Gov. Ramsey said. “If you’re a sitting congressman you can raise money. Why shouldn’t someone in the legislature, if they’re running for an office, also be able to raise money?”
Sen. Kyle said he agrees with the lieutenant governor to “an extent.” But he pointed out that Sen. Ramsey and Senate Republicans opposed changing state law several years ago to allow two Democratic House members running in special Senate elections to raise funds back home.
“I’m not necessarily supportive based on the positions he and other Republicans have taken over the years,” Sen. Kyle said.
“Ron has a simple remedy,” Sen. Kyle said, recalling how his wife resigned a judgeship to run for the then-state Public Service Commission. “There’s no rule that Ron has to be in the Senate.”
Asked about Lt. Gov. Ramsey’s remarks, Mr. Haslam, a declared candidate, grinned and said, “I’m not worried about Ron. He’ll be OK. I’m assuming they put the law in for a lot of reasons, and I don’t know that I even have an opinion on that. Selfishly, I like it the way it is now.”
But he said, “If they’re going to change it, they need to go back and review why it was put in place in the first place.”
Additional commentary on the issue here.
So, Gun To Your Head, Will Wamp Be On The Ballot For Guv in 2010?
Posted on March 22, 2009 at 9:24 pmSo it appears that the AP has picked up on Andy Sher’s article about the 3rd District Congressional race which reveals that only on Republican has out and out said they are running.
Of course, the subtext of the article is why? If the Third District seat, a solid Republican seat, is truly open then why haven’t more serious candidates for the spot announced or at least strongly implied an announcement is all but a formality?
Are some Republicans still waiting to see if Zach Wamp is truly committed to the Governor’s race? Of course, he has denied he will ever drop out and stated emphatically that his congressional over. Do some folks remain unconvinced?
Loading ...Wamp Better Pack A Lunch
Posted on January 5, 2009 at 11:16 amKatie Granju lays out the reasons why recently announced candidate Rep. Zach Wamp is not the frontrunner in the race for Governor despite being a sitting Congressman.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything Granju says here. The Haslam name may not be a household one in every part of the state right now, but never you mind, it’s fixing to be. Not only does Haslam have personal wealth he has the entire moderate Republican fundraising network that will fall in behind him.
While Haslam will not likely get any explicit endorsements early on, the establishment will have his back. And by the establishment, of course, we are not taking about the ideological movement conservatives over at TNGOP HQ. We are talking about the money men. We are talking about Senator Lamar Alexander and his network.
The other reason Wamp cannot beat Haslam is that despite being a member of the class of 1994 he is not a pure ideologue. Yes, he is conservative, far more than Haslam. But he is not a firebreather like Marsha Blackburn or a true believer in the mold of Ed Bryant.
I’m not saying that either model could successfully take on Haslam and the establishment and win but going up against this kind of money and these kinds of connections you need something extra. You need an edge — a persona, a story or a defining issue to sell to the grassroots. Wamp doesn’t posess these things and is unlikely to cobble them together in a year and a half.
Wamp could certainly prove me wrong and upset the establishment but, frankly, I just don’t see it. To beat Haslam a candidate would have to literally light a fire among the grassroots and ignite open rebellion against the Baker Boy establishment out in the Tennessee.
Zach Wamp is not that candidate.
UPDATE: Say Uncle reminds us of Haslam’s achillies heel in a GOP primary: guns. If Wamp is mount a serious campaign he will need to peruse Uncle’s posts on Haslam on the issue and hit Haslam him hard.
UPDATE II: Chris Sanders notes Wamp’s record on gays and hopes he’ll dial down the homophobia. If he hopes to defeat a moderate with money in a GOP primary, he best not.
Senator Bill Frist On The Importance Of A Republican Legislature
Posted on October 14, 2008 at 3:11 pmThis morning the TNGOP announced that former Senator Bill Frist will go on a two-day campaign swing in support of various Republican legislative candidates.
Tomorrow, Frist will campaign for House candidates Terri Lynn Weaver, A.J. McCall as well as Senate candidates Mike Faulk and Ken Yager.
Frist will follow that up on Thursday with attendance at events for state House candidates Bill Sanderson, Curtis Halford, Vance Dennis, and Senate candidate Dolores Gresham.
Asked what provoked him to do this well-publicized push to increase the GOP’s presence in the state legislature, Frist responded to Post Politics via email:
“[These candidates] are a tremendous group of qualified folks. It has been a priority of mine to do what I could to make certain TN Republicans make gains toward a Republican majority in the state legislature. My involvement serves to highlight the importance of voting early and to make certain Tennesseans know these individuals are ready to serve their communities at the state level.”
Frist explained via email that, in a Presidential year where more and more voters will be going to the polls, it is imperative that Republicans remain energized.
“In the coming years, those who serve in the legislature will make the decision to raise taxes or reduce spending. Tennessee is friendly for business and families because of our lack of an income tax and other excessive taxes. This needs to continue to be the case, ” said Frist.
Frist declined to comment today via email on what these actions mean for the 2010 Gubernatorial campaign he is reported to be pondering. Frist has said previously that he will make a decision on the race sometime next year.
*This post has been updated to reflect Frist’s responses were received via email.
Watch Out For Zach
Posted on August 24, 2008 at 10:31 pmRichard Sammon says Rep. Wamp is a Republican to watch:
If Republicans are serious about tightening the reins on federal spending and limiting government growth, Wamp will be one of their champions. The 51-year-old lawmaker, an energetic, born-again Christian popular with evangelicals, has been on a mission to cut spending throughout his14-year congressional career, much of which has been on the Appropriations Committee. He rankled his leadership by trying in 2003 to convert President Bush’s speinding request for Iraq into a loan. He’s been an early promoter of alternative energy. Wamp is also a self described fitness freak, sponsoring legislation, for instance, that would give special tax breaks to companies who actually pay their employees to work out. He”ll probably run for governor in 2010.
(via Hornback)
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