Armstrong And Turner To Battle For House Caucus Chair

By Kleinheider Posted on September 6, 2008 at 12:38 pm

From Tom Humphrey:

[Rep. Joe] Armstrong said that colleagues had encouraged him to seek the caucus chair, “a frontline position where I can help manage the agenda of the Democratic caucus” and provide a geographic balance to House leadership.

House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh is from West Tennessee, and House Majority Leader Gary Odom is from Middle Tennessee. Armstrong said it would be appropriate for the Democratic chair to come from East Tennessee.

“We would have a balance of leadership across the board,” Armstrong said.

Turner began campaigning among Democratic representatives and candidates in late May, shortly after Rinks announced he would give up his House seat and instead seek to replace Riley Darnell as Tennessee’s secretary of state.

“I think I’ve got the votes (to win),” [Rep. Mike] Turner said. “Joe is my friend, and I think he’d do a good job (as caucus chairman). I just think I’d do better.”

Turner characterized himself as a little more vocal and more willing to stand up and fight than Armstrong, who characterized himself as a leader able to build a consensus.

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Tags: caucus chair, Joe Armstrong, Mike Turner, Randy Rinks  

Randy Rinks Building A Warchest

By Kleinheider Posted on August 7, 2008 at 7:59 am

He’s not running for the legislature anymore but he is looking to help out those who are so that they might do him a good turn in return:

Rep. Randy “Bear” Rinks, chairman of the state House Democratic Caucus, has established a new political action committee - Bear PAC - to help in his coming campaign to become the next Tennessee secretary of state.

Rinks, who lives in Savannah, is not seeking re-election, and instead plans to ask legislators to chose him to replace Secretary of State Riley Darnell when the 106th General Assembly convenes in January.

Bear PAC has a balance of $2,701, according to a report filed last month with the Registry of Election Finance. Donations have come from former Democratic state Reps. Ronnie Cole, Joe Fowlkes and Doyle “Butch” Lewis.

Rinks said the plan is to create a fund to be used for making donations to candidates seeking election to the Legislature. They, in turn, will then hopefully be more inclined to vote for Rinks when the secretary of state election is held.

No donations to candidates have been made so far.

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Tags: Randy Rinks, Riley Darnell, Secretary of State