Awful Finney-key: State Senator Likely To Abandon Recount

By Kleinheider Posted on August 15, 2008 at 4:51 pm

State Senator Ray Finney seems to have decided to “give up the ghost” on his campaign for a recount of his August 7th Republican primary defeat to state Rep. Doug Overbey:

Finney, who served one term representing Blount and Sevier counties, said part of the reason he filed the petition was that there is a very short window of time after the election in which he can ask for a recount and that if he had had more time to investigate what his petition called “irregularities” in the voting he might not have filed the petition.

Finney said he intends to “go on with my life” and added that some of the questions raised in his petition “may never be answered.

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Tags: Doug Overbey, Ray Finney  

Ray’s Reasoning For Recount

By Kleinheider Posted on August 14, 2008 at 1:51 pm

As has been reported, 8th District state Senate candidate and incumbent Sen. Raymond Finney has petitioned the Tennessee Republican Party for a recount in his election defeat to state Rep. Doug Overbey.

However, at this link, you can see a confidential copy of the official petition for recount outlining the Senator’s reasoning for making the request.

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Tags: Doug Overbey, Ray Finney, recount, State Senate  

RECOUNT: State Senator Ray Finney Won’t Go Down Without A Fight

By Kleinheider Posted on August 11, 2008 at 8:01 pm

From the Daily Times:

State Sen. Raymond Finney filed a petition for a recount of Sevier County votes in Thursday’s Republican primary for the 8th District Senate seat.

In a tight race, State Rep. Doug Overbey, who holds the 20th District House seat, outpolled Finney 10,175 (48.0 percent) to 10,036 (47.4 percent) in the primary to pick the GOP candidate for the general election in November, according to the state’s vote tally.

The 8th Senate District is made up of Blount and Sevier counties.

Finney carried Blount County 6,918 to 5,722. But Sevier County voters put Overbey on top, casting 4,453 ballots for the state representative and 3,118 for the senator. Jim Bishop of Sevier County received 977 (4.6 percent).

After the unofficial votes were announced Thursday night, Finney said he would request a recount because of voting irregularities in Sevier County.

On Monday, he said he had already acted on that request.

“I have filed a petition for recount,” Finney said.

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Tags: Doug Overbey, Ray Finney, recount  

Overbey Doesn’t Appreciate Comparisons To Joe Goebbels Or Joe Pesci

By Kleinheider Posted on August 4, 2008 at 4:51 pm

Tommy: No more shines, Billy.
Billy: What?
Tommy: I said, no more shines. Maybe you didn’t hear about it, you’ve been away a long time. They didn’t go up there and tell you. I don’t shine shoes anymore.
Billy: Relax, will ya? Ya flip right out, what’s got into you? I’m breaking your balls a little bit, that’s all. I’m only kidding with ya…
Tommy: Sometimes you don’t sound like you’re kidding, you know, there’s a lotta people around…
Billy: I’m only kidding with you, we’re having a party, I just came home and I haven’t seen you in a long time and I’m breaking your balls, and you’re getting [expletive deleted] fresh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.
Tommy: I’m sorry too. It’s okay. No problem.
Billy: Okay, salud.
Billy: [takes a drink] Now go home and get your [expletive deleted] shinebox.

~ Goodfellas (1989)

Rep. Doug Overbey, in a rough and tumble battle with incumbent Senator Raymond Finney for the 8th District State Senate GOP primary, has had just about enough of his opponent’s tactics including an ad that ran by this story in yesterday’s Daily Times comparing Overbey to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels:

“Sadly, Ray Finney appears to be losing his composure and resorting to his unfortunate tendency to get nasty with his opponents,” said Doug Overbey. “Those of us who work with Finney at the Capitol have seen this side of him, but now it is occurring for everyone to see.”
“Perhaps the most insulting and odd thing about Finney’s behavior is that he is doing all this while – at exactly the same time – saying he is a ‘gentleman’ who will not use the very tactics he is using almost every day against me,” said Overbey.

Overbey pointed out that in the very same edition of The Daily Times that had the Nazi ad, a front page story had a quote from Ray Finney in which he said, “I have tried to be a gentleman in this race.” (The Daily Times, August 3, 2008)

Overbey also noted that Finney has repeatedly tried to make Overbey “look like the bad guy” by claiming Overbey is running a similarly negative campaign.“Ray Finney is desperately trying to draw a moral equivalency between our campaigns,” said Overbey. “I flatly reject that, because I have never called anyone a cancer, Nazi or shoe shine boy in public – and I never will.”

See the ads here.

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Tags: Doug Overbey, Ray Finney