Buying Into Cammack’s Conversion
Posted on May 12, 2009 at 7:25 amIlissa Gold reports that gubernatorial candidate Ward Cammack was authentic when he told her the reasons why he left the Republican Party and became a Democrat:
Cammack was a Republican up until very recently. While that’s not a deal-breaker on its own, you want to make sure that your Democratic candidates are in it for the right reasons.
So with that in mind, one of the very first questions I asked was what, specifically, made him become a Democrat. And I admit, I was caught off-guard by his answer. He discussed how his youngest daughter became critically ill a few years ago, forcing them to spend a week in the ICU at Vanderbilt, and how they didn’t know what was wrong for several days. It was that experience, that grief and uncertainty, that forced him to see the world in a different way. He realized that while his daughter fortunately recovered, not everyone in that situation has access to the same resources.
Now, I realize that I haven’t been in the political game as long as most of my peers in the Tennessee blogosphere. But this will be the fifth political cycle I’ve been actively involved with, so by now I can distinguish honesty from BS, between which there is an admittedly fine line. Cammack’s answer, and the emotion in his eyes when he gave the answer, left no doubt in my mind ten minutes into the interview that he is 100% legitimate.
Jim Kyle’s Ittie Bittie Twittie Gubernatorial Exploratory Committee
Posted on April 25, 2009 at 3:26 pmSen. Jim Kyle, oft-mentioned as a possible candidate for governor, makes veiled reference to his pondering:
Ward Cammack Wants A Piece Of This Junior Story
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 4:59 pmA statement from the gubernatorial candidate on Harold Ford’s decision not to seek the office of governor:
“I will gladly take up Congressman Ford’s call to focus on green jobs and the new economy. We are in an economic reset, and the next governor must have a broad, generational vision and must embrace the new economy.”
Herron A Go For Guv
Posted on April 8, 2009 at 7:07 amKen Whitehouse reports that the state senator representing some of the most economically distressed areas of the state is running for governor:
The word that has come down from on high – well, at least the 16th floor of the Nashville City Center – is that State Sen. Roy Herron (D-Dresden) is running for governor.
Herron’s name had been widely circulated in the Democratic ranks as being on the verge of throwing his hat into the 2010 governor’s race. According to several NashvillePost.com sources that were in the room, Herron said that he is definitely a candidate.
SEE ALSO: Newscoma
Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Gibbons On WATE
Posted on April 2, 2009 at 5:51 pmVia Wintermute:
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Just A Fancy Word For Defining Yourself Before Your Opponents Paint You As A Rich Daddy’s Boy
Posted on March 31, 2009 at 10:04 amBill Haslam’s gubernatorial campaign has rolled out its full featured website recently and, despite the annoying ploy to get your information before you get to enter the main site, it’s a nice piece of business.
What I enjoyed most of all was the above video. The just under two minute piece features Haslam’s wife Crissy giving the audience a run down on who her husband is. Here’s her description of Haslam’s early work experience after college.
“He went to work with his dad and brother at Pilot Travel Centers. Which is really just a fancy word for truck stops. And they weren’t too fancy in those days. They just had some convenience stores when Bill started. He was president for eighteen years and when he left they had over 250 truck stops.”
Well played. In an economy where wealth, especially handed down wealth, will be a serious weakness this ad paints the privileged Haslam in the best possible light.
The question is: Will it work? Can Ingram and Co. paint Haslam as a hardworking regular-guy, family businessman before Ramsey and Wamp try and pigeonhole him as a posterboy for affluence and privilege who worked once on Wall Street?
Team Ramsey: It’s Official
Posted on March 5, 2009 at 1:42 pmRon Ramsey for Governor has a web presence:
Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) today announced the formation of an exploratory committee for Governor that will test the waters for a gubernatorial run in 2010. As the second highest elected official in Tennessee, an official entrance into the race would vault Lt. Governor Ramsey to the front of the pack in the Republican Primary.
“It is an honor to serve as Lt. Governor and, after prayerful consideration with my family, I have formed an exploratory committee to talk to people across the state about running for Governor in 2010,” Lt. Governor Ramsey said. “I believe the next Governor will have to have a proven record of bringing good jobs to Tennessee and a record of managing the state budget with conservative principles.”
Ramsey led the statewide effort to secure a Republican majority in the State Senate - the biggest Republican achievement in state politics in the last 15 years. Ramsey and his wife Sindy run a successful real estate and auction business in Upper East Tennessee and he has been a leading voice for pro-growth policies in the legislature since his election in 1992. Business Tennessee magazine named him “The Best Lawmaker for Business in Tennessee” in 2008.
The formation of an exploratory committee is the first step in the process of running for Governor. Ramsey said he plans to tour the state to build support for his bid before a formal campaign launch.
PREVIOUSLY:
The leak
The announcement
Today Is Ramsey Day
Posted on at 10:35 amThe Lt. Governor is believed to making official today what Ken Whitehouse told you a week ago.
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Putting It Right Out There: Ramsey Says He’s Running For Governor
Posted on February 28, 2009 at 12:55 pmAt an annual Lincoln Day dinner out in Greene County yesterday, Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, whose task was only to introduce the keynote speaker TNGOP Robin Smith, added a little something extra to his remarks: an announcement of his imminent campaign for Governor:
Ramsey noted that the three officials who had already spoken were “three great candidates for governor,” but he was enthusiastically applauded when he said, “I am here in Greene County to announce that I am going to be a candidate for governor” as well.
He said he and his wife of 29 years, Sindy, had “thought about this, prayed about this,” and decided to go ahead, “for the right reasons.”
Ramsey said Republicans engineered a 19-to-14 majority in the Senate in last year’s election, and elected the first Republican majority in the state House of Representatives “in the history of time,” because they “stuck to Republican principles.”
At a time when “Republicans in Washington stopped acting like Republicans, Tennessee didn’t,” he said.
Ramsey commended Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Smith, whom he said is “not afraid to stand up and say what she thinks.”
He brought her to the platform by saying that Republicans would not enjoy the majorities that they do “if it wasn’t for Robin Smith.”
Ken Whitehouse broke the news on Thursday that Ramsey acolytes were in the process of forming an exploratory committee.
SEE ALSO:
Jackson Baker
Associated Press
Mr. Turnbow
Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Gave Extensively To Republicans
Posted on February 23, 2009 at 8:09 am
It would appear that the Tennessee Democratic Party’s new treasurer is not the only Democrat of note with a history of contributing money to both Democratic and Republican causes.
Post Politics has learned that Ward Cammack, one of two Democrats actively campaigning to succeed Governor Phil Bredesen in 2010, has given to a myriad of Tennessee Republican candidates starting in 1979 with a donation to Senator Howard Baker’s 1980 Presidential run.
While Cammack has supported Congressman Jim Cooper with financial donations steadily throughout his career, a large majority of his donations have gone to Tennessee Republican candidates for federal office. In 1994, the year of the Republican Revolution, Cammack gave extensively to both Bill Frist and Fred Thompson who were victorious in grabbing both of Tennessee’s U.S. Senate seats that year.
Cammack also gave heavily to Lamar Alexander contributing to both his Presidential run in 1996 as well as his initial 2002 Senate run. In 2008, Cammack gave heavily to Alexander’s opponent Bob Tuke.
Cammack’s most recent Republican donation was in late 2005 when he contributed $500 to Bob Corker’s 2006 Senate primary campaign though Cammack tells Post Politics he ultimately voted for Corker’s opponent Harold Ford, Jr.
In discussing his party shift, Cammack cannot point to any “Road to Damacus” moment but admits that he is “clearly a convert” to the Democratic cause and credits the Bush years for his shift in worldview.
“Everything has changed. A lot of things people thought they had to protect, be it money or a set of so-called moral beliefs, have proved illusory,” Cammack explains. “All we really have is each other.”
Cammack, whose first Democratic vote for President was cast last fall for Barack Obama, said it was the exclusionary tactics of the GOP which led him to begin to question the staunch Republicanism he had learned as a child.
“Eventually you just have to ask: What is this all about? Why are we marginalizing people like this?” Cammack explains.
When asked whether he could pinpoint whether it was Republican policies on social issues, economic issues or foreign policy that ultimate let to his conversion, Cammack was unequivocal.
“All of the above,” replied Cammack.
Cammack does expect that some may be skeptical of his political past but insists that the Democratic Party is a “very comfortable skin for him.”
“Yes, I have given [money] to Republicans in the past and I have voted for Republicans in the past. I have never tried to hide that,” Cammack says. “But if you ask me if I believe in the Democratic Party, the answer is yes. Yes, I do.”
SEE ALSO: The Rotunda asks: “[I]s there a prominent Democrat expanding the tent of the party to reach the affluent white guys like Ward Cammack and Bill Freeman?”
He’s Just A Good, God-Fearing Tennessean Like Yourself
Posted on January 7, 2009 at 4:18 pmChris Jackson stands up for his friend Harold Ford, Jr. amid speculation he may run for Governor:
Now, a few corrections from blogs I’ve read. Ford is a Tennessee homeowner, a registered Tennessee voter, a Tennessee taxpayer and maintains a business office in Nashville. Like Bill Frist and Fred Thompson, he enjoys and benefits Tennessee with a national political and business profile.
If he does run for and win the Governor’s office, his national relationships can only benefit our state’s chances of attracting new jobs and opportunity to our state. But as he said, let’s focus our energy on putting the economic interests of Tennesseans ahead of the political appetite of the state’s political class.
So What Will Frist Do?
Posted on January 4, 2009 at 7:26 pmIf not Governor of Tennessee, then what? Clay Risen hears things:
As for what Frist will do instead, other sources tell me he’s been approached for a leadership post at the Gates Foundation, which would accord nicely with his long-time interest in developing-world public health issues. In any case, this also makes it less likely that he’ll be a serious contender for the 2012 presidential race, which many Frist-watchers had sorta assumed he would enter, if only because he’s the sort of fellow to never leave a contest until he’s won it.
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The Cavalcade Begins: Gibbons A Definite Yes On Governor
Posted on at 6:51 pmNow that Bill Frist is out we can expect the field for the 2010 Governor’s race to become officially congealed in short order. Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons is the first to issue his expected official announcement.
“I am a candidate for governor and will seek the Republican nomination in the August 2010 primary.
“As governor, I will place priority on two issues – crime and schools – that pose big challenges to our state and that we must address if we are to achieve a better future for Tennessee.
“Through safer communities and better schools, Tennessee will be positioned as a state where people want to live, raise their families, work and retire. And we will be a state where existing businesses want to remain and expand and new businesses want to locate.
“The very first sentence of the very first section of our state constitution notes that state government exists to provide for the peace and safety of the people. As our next governor, I will take the leading in making changes to fix Tennessee’s criminal justice system because I believe we must not surrender a single street, neighborhood or community to crime.
“Tennessee has the second highest violent crime rate in the nation, and it is a statewide problem. Over the past ten years, we have not shared in the national downward trend in violent crime. Law enforcement throughout Tennessee is doing a good job with the tools we have, but Tennessee’s criminal justice system has deep flaws. As district attorney in our state’s largest jurisdiction, I see those flaws up close, every day. We must change the system.
“We must do a better job of holding serious offenders accountable by keeping them off our streets and in prison where they belong. At the same time we must address the underlying problem of drug addiction that drives so much of our crime. We must address behavior among juveniles such as truancy that too often results in even more serious consequences. And we must make sure that our state law enforcement agencies, such as the Highway Patrol, develop and maintain a level of professionalism their employees and the citizens of Tennessee deserve.
“The other major challenge facing our next governor is our schools. In 2010, we will move to more rigorous standardized testing of our public school students. It will be a wake-up call for our state. We must make sure our young people have the skills and values necessary to compete in a global economy. We cannot simply pour more money into doing the same thing and expect significantly different results.
“My wife Julia and I are products of public schools, as are our two children. I was blessed to go to an excellent public high school in my hometown of Memphis, and my children were fortunate to go to exceptional public schools from kindergarten through high school. But I know many of our public schools today simply aren’t where they need to be in preparing our children for the future. As our next governor, I will change the status quo in our public schools and encourage innovation, instill high expectations of students, and demand and reward excellence in teaching.
“By making real progress on crime and public schools, Tennessee will be better positioned for the economic growth and employment opportunities so critical to the vibrancy of our communities. My administration will be focused on attracting high-quality jobs in every county, and our success in doing so relies very much on safety and better schools.
“I’ve spent my professional and personal life preparing to tackle these challenges, and I’m ready to do the job. I intend to make my campaign a conversation with Tennesseans about the real issues we’re facing today. I will be specific – about the direction I think we need to take, and the changes we will make – to ensure we do have safer communities, better schools, and more and better jobs. I’m looking forward to having this conversation all across our state.
“That process begins today as I enter the race and form a campaign committee. Germantown CPA Bill Watkins, who has served as chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party, as a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, and as treasurer of dozens of campaigns for Republican candidates, has agreed to serve as treasurer of my campaign.”
SEE ALSO:
Memphis Flyer
MediaVerse
It’s Official: Frist Will Not Run For Governor of Tennessee In 2010
Posted on at 5:27 pmKen Whitehouse reports. The full statement:
“For 12 years, I had the tremendous honor of representing the interests of more than six million Tennesseans in the U.S. Senate. I pledged in 1994 to serve two terms and then, consistent with being a ‘citizen legislator,’ return to my childhood home in Nashville. After honoring my word, my wife Karyn and I, along with our three boys, returned to private life as active members of Tennessee’s civic and business communities.
“After significant reflection and conversations with loved ones, I have decided to remain a private citizen for the foreseeable future. I will, however, continue serving the people of Tennessee.
“My long-standing efforts both as a doctor and policymaker to improve access to quality, affordable health care throughout our state will carry on. I will also launch a statewide, nonpartisan, grassroots education initiative to improve K-12 education in Tennessee late this month.
“I will never enjoy a privilege greater than serving the people of Tennessee. I know the citizens of our great state will identify a tremendous leader to serve as our next governor, and I stand ready to assist in any way that benefits Tennessee.”
PREVIOUSLY: ‘Nooga website reports Frist will not run.
SEE ALSO:
Freddie O’Connell
Jackson Sun
Colby Sledge
Erik Schelzig
Terry Frank
Ilissa Gold
Brian Hornback
Media Lizzy
‘Nooga Website Says Frist Not Running For Governor
Posted on January 3, 2009 at 2:34 pmI got some plans to go away after. So for me, it’s worth the stretch. But, Elaine takes good care of you. You got plenty put away. T-bonds; real estate. If I were you, I’d be smart and cut loose of this.
~ Neil McCauley in Heat (1995)
Chattanoogan.com reports that according to “high Republican sources” Bill Frist will not run for Governor in 2010.
This follows a blog post by Jeff Woods earlier in the week which revealed Frist’s lack of a “fire in the belly” for statewide politics and gave voice to a growing feeling among the political intelligentsia in the state that Frist would ultimately demur from a race that is his to win.
Given the source, Post Politics is not prepared to assert with certainty that a decision has been made but the report is certainly not inconsistent with the way things seem to be heading.
If the call has been made, Senator Frist has made a wise decision. With the economy in despair and the state budget suffering from a lack of revenue in a political climate where any kind of comprehensive tax reform is political suicide, the next Governor will have his hands full.
Let’s be frank, one of the chief reasons (and possibly the only reason) Bill Frist would want to make a run for Governor would be to set himself up for a run for President.
While the official reason Frist left the Senate in 2006 was that he was fulfilling a commitment to self-imposed term limits, most political observers understand that he left the Senate because he was going to mount a Presidential campaign.
Visits to Iowa and New Hampshire were made and an apparatus was constructed. Ultimately, Frist failed to pull the trigger on the campaign and was prudent to do so. George W. Bush was clearly on the downslope of popularity and it was painfully obvious that a Republican would have an uphill climb capturing the Presidency in 2008 — especially a Republican so tied to the Bush Administration’s agenda.
Instead of running on the inertia of ambition and running a failed campaign possibly ruining his chances at the presidency forever, Frist decided to put off the Presidency and the take time to get clean of the Bush stink and preserve his viability for the future. It was a smart decision and one few ambitious pols would have made.
If Frist has decided to eschew the Gubernatorial race in 2010, he has made a similarly astute decision. While coming back home and getting elected Governor would be superficially good image-wise there are other variables that need be considered.
One is the timing. It’s off.
A 2012 presidential race is out. To make that run, Frist would essentially have to step off the inaugural platform at Legislative Plaza in 2011 and start running for President. Not only would it look bad, he would have no record off accomplishment in the state to run on. Just a title. His true resume would still be heavily Washington and heavily Bush-related.
Now, it is possible that Barack Obama could be a disastrous President and leave an opening for a Republican in 2012. Possible, but unlikely. But even if a Republican was going to have a chance, a candidate who could be reasonably seen as a restorer of the Bush legacy would not be the way for the GOP to go.
So, if Frist were to win the 2010 governor’s race, he would be looking at at least a term and some change before the 2016 race to succeed Obama starting getting dialed up. This, once again, brings us back to the state of the State and how feasible it will be for a Republican Governor to come out of a first term in 2014 smelling like a rose.
We have a poor economy that is not looking to recover anytime soon and a state budget with a revenue problem. Drastic spending cuts will hurt and tax increases will meet with blank stares in the new Republican General Assembly.
Now, if I were Frist I would look at this landscape and let the field of Haslam, Wamp and Gibbons fight it out for whomever the Democrats nominate to take the fall.
To follow the relative successful reign of Phil Bredesen with the economy in the shape that it is will be a daunting task. Frist is still a young man and there are other ways to get free of the yoke of the Bush legacy. That’s, of course, assuming Frist has the Presidential bug that bad anymore anyway.
Frist made a smart decision in 2006 backing away from a run for President. If this report is true, he has made another one — not just for himself but for the state of Tennessee. Among the candidates for Governor, all really want to be Governor for its own sake and at least one may even have the capacity to govern the state through what will be a difficult time.
Again, assuming the report is accurate, Frist has done a good thing in clearing a path.
UPDATE: The official Frist statement bowing out of the race.
SEE ALSO:
Jackson Baker
10,000 Monkeys and a Camera
Lincoln Davis Still Thinkin’ On A Race For Guv
Posted on December 11, 2008 at 2:52 pmFrom the Associated Press:
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis says he will make a decision early next year about whether to run for governor in Tennessee in 2010.
Davis said in a conference call with reporters today he is taking a serious look at the race and will be “having some meetings in January and February to analyze what needs to happen.”
Reading Between The Lines Of Frist
Posted on October 17, 2008 at 2:26 pmJackson Baker, after observing the former Senator at a campaign event for state Senate candidate Dolores Gresham, is pretty sure Bill Frist is a go for Governor in 2010:
All in all, it was neither an announcement nor a commitment. But it was the speech of a man who was clearly ready to go if he chose to run for governor of Tennessee. “I’m prepared,” he responded when asked later on about the prospect of a run.
More than that, those who know him well, including some of those present Thursday night, speak of what they see as Frist’s intent to lay the groundwork for a future run for the presidency. No one seems to doubt the ultimate intent of the former Senate Majority Leader (and erstwhile presidential hopeful) in that regard.
So He Has Decided About His Gubernatorial Run?
Posted on October 14, 2008 at 10:25 amOr is he just being a good party man:
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist will campaign across Tennessee this week for eight state legislative candidates as early voting gets underway on Wednesday.
Frist, who has aided each of these campaigns with fund-raising, will be doing events for state House candidates Terri Lynn Weaver, A.J. McCall, Bill Sanderson, Curtis Halford and Vance Dennis and state Senate candidates Ken Yager, Mike Faulk, and Dolores Gresham.
On Wednesday, Oct 15, Frist will campaign in the 40th House district for Terri Lynn Weaver, the 46th House district for A.J. McCall, the 4th Senate district for Mike Faulk, and the 12th Senate district for Ken Yager.
On Thursday, Oct. 16, Frist will campaign in the 77th House district for Bill Sanderson, the 78th House district for Curtis Halford, the 71st House district for Vance Dennis, and the 26th Senate district for Dolores Gresham.
“Sen. Frist’s work on behalf of our Republican legislative candidates has been invaluable in the pursuit of a Republican majority in the state Legislature that is committed to keeping our taxes low and working to create jobs,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.
One can, of course, find much more info about the candidates Frist will campaign for at the TNGOP’s Victory ‘08 website.
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