The Legacy Of Gary Davis

By Kleinheider Posted on January 6, 2009 at 8:07 am

Josh Arrowood wonders if the surprising results of the 2008 Democratic U.S. Senate primary may encourage an unseated Congressman to make a run for Governor:

I also have to wonder if former Congressman David Davis may get involved. This past election cycle was good for the last name Davis in the US Senate Race in Tennessee as a huge upset nearly happened simply on Davis name recognition.

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Tags: gary Davis, Yeah that's not gonna happen  

Tuke-ing The Stats

By Kleinheider Posted on August 11, 2008 at 8:53 am

Ken Whitehouse explains why Thursday’s primary results were no boost for a Democratic candidate trying to gain traction against Lamar Alexander:

The real shock of the evening was that political unknown Gary G. Davis came in second.

Davis spent no money on his campaign yet picked up 38,971 votes, roughly 21 percent of all the votes cast. While Tuke beat Davis by about 20,000 votes, and the statewide result was an embarrassment to Padgett, the numbers being put out by the Tennessee Division of Elections show that Tuke’s effort to “take the hill” will need some grappling hooks.

According to the Tennessee Division of Elections data, Alexander received more votes than all Democrat challengers combined. Alexander pulled in 243,056 votes compared to the 182,724 votes cast on the Democratic side. That is a margin of 60,332 for Alexander in a largely uneventful primary season.

What this also means is that Alexander received 57 percent of total partisan ballots cast in the combined Democrat/Republican U.S. Senate Primary. Tuke’s 58,946 represented 13.8 percent.

What is most interesting in reviewing the state’s election data is that Davis, the virtually unknown candidate, won more counties than Tuke — 39 to 34 (Tuke tied with Clayton in one county).

SEE ALSO: The REAL Gary Davis

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Tags: Bob Tuke, gary Davis  

Mike Padgett Concedes To Bob Tuke, The Name You Know Claims Second

By Kleinheider Posted on August 7, 2008 at 10:22 pm

Tennessee’s one and onliest Southern Appalachian Democratic candidate congratulates the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Bob Tuke:

“My hearty congratulations go out to Bob Tuke tonight,” Mike Padgett said Thursday evening.

“Bob is a true Tennessee hero, and he ran a gentleman’s campaign. I have offered him my full support because we both understand how important it is to working Tennesseans that Bob bring Lamar Alexander home.”

The big story out of this race, however, is the out of nowhere, unknown upstart candidate Gary Davis.

With little fundraising and literally no media attention until tonight, Davis outpolled two candidates who were considered “legitmate” by the mainstream and citizen media by virtue of money and position and came within 10% of the current nominee. The question is: how?

Is the Davis story a triumph of an underground, stealthy grassroots campaign? Is it an example of a rare victory for the little guy against big money and big media?

Or is the explanation more troubling? Did Davis’s voters believe that they were voting for one of the two sitting Congressmen in the state, Lincoln Davis and David Davis, with the same surname?

A look at the map leads one to believe that Tennessee may have just had its own statewide theatrical version of the Distinguished Gentleman.

Davis, “the name they knew“, seems to have trumped everything: money, organization and just plain common sense.

A sad commentary on the political savvy of the Tennessee voter.

SEE ALSO:
Associated Press

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Tags: David Davis, gary Davis, Lincoln Davis, Mike Padgett, The Distinguished Gentleman