Blackburn Tried To Talk Primary Challenger Out Of A Run
Posted on May 12, 2008 at 8:01 amAndy Meek reports that Rep. Marsha Blackburn offered to give her primary challenger Tom Leatherwood an opportunity to get a leg up on the competition when and if she declines to run someday rather than take her on in the primary this year:
That line in the sand Leatherwood has drawn also promises to make the Republican primary for Blackburn’s seat, which will be decided by voters on the Aug. 7 ballot, a closely watched race. And the incumbent apparently isn’t taking anything for granted, because she gave Leatherwood a phone call about his rumored candidacy a couple of months ago, before he’d even formally entered the race.
“She called me, like, the day before Easter,” he said. “She had heard I was thinking about it. She left a message, and I called her back. I did ask her if she would consider not running. … She talked about how she hoped I wouldn’t run, that I could tour the district with her, that I could get to know the district, which could help me potentially in a future run.
“Of course, she let me know she was running. But for the good of the party, I wish she had not (run).”
Tom Leatherwood: Nobody’s Puppet
Posted on April 23, 2008 at 11:03 amRepublican candidate for Congress in the 7th District Tom Leatherwood writes in to put to bed any rumors or speculation that his campaign is about dirtying up Marsha Blackburn for a future run for Governor at the behest of another candidate:
I read with interest and amusement the speculation by Mr. Turnbow that I launched my campaign for Congress to advance some future candidate’s campaign for governor. Let me assure you that’s not the case.
As you may remember, my first campaign was in the 1992 Republican primary against the “unbeatable” TN State Sen. Leonard Dunavant. No one gave me much of a chance, but I decided to enter the race because Sen. Dunavant was a leading proponent of a state income tax. I felt he was wrong on the issue and that Republicans should hold their own accountable. I made my case to the party faithful and won.
Today I am concerned that Republicans in Washington have lost their way. Judging from Republican losses in the 2006 Congressional elections, most Americans agree. Our 7th District Representative has become part of Washington’s me-first culture. Her recent announcement of “accounting errors” is just the latest example. It’s bad enough to collect money from special interests to pay your family members, but losing track of hundreds of thousands of dollars due to “accounting errors” is inexcusable.
This year, as in 1992, I believe Republicans must hold their own accountable, and that’s the sole reason I’m running.
Regards,
Tom Leatherwood
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The First Major Political Operation In The 2010 GOP Gubernatorial Primary?
Posted on April 21, 2008 at 12:51 pmIs Tom Leatherwood’s challenge of Marsha Blackburn not really a challenge to her incumbency but instead an attempt by someone to dirty her up so she eschews a run for Governor in 2010? Mr. Turnbow sure thinks so:
I’ve been around politics long enough to recognize when something doesn’t pass the smell test and this Tom Leatherwood challenge doesn’t come close to doing that in my opinion. I think someone like a certain ex US Senator or a certain Mayor or Congressman from over in the east state is behind this Leatherwood challenge of Marsha.
Their motives are simple, since everyone knows Marsha is looking at the Governors race they went out and found a well known politician in a county that any Republican has to win in the primary if they want to win the nomination for a statewide office. Their best hope would be that he defeats Marsha but the more realistic hope would be to try to force Marsha to lash out sometime this summer against the well known Shelby County GOPer Leatherwood and hope it turns off a sizable number of GOPers in the vote rich Shelby County area. To the point where they will refuse to support her for Governor in two years in the GOP primary.
I Am Marsholio, Are You Threatening Me?
Posted on April 17, 2008 at 7:54 pmKen Whitehouse uncovers a bit of ugly talk circulating around how Congressman Marsha Blackburn conducts her congressional business — and we are not talking about her recent campaign finance unpleasantness.
Can’t read the story at the link? Click here first.
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Post Politics: 16 April 2008
Posted on at 11:41 amMarsha Blackburn’s Republican challenger, Tom Leatherwood, received a gift yesterday in the form of news that incumbent Blackburn will “voluntarily” revise downward her campaign finance statement due to mistakes made back in 2002, when she switched from running for re-election to the state Senate to running for Congress.
Among the unreported expenditures were $18,821 to her daughter and son-in-law Paul and Mary Morgan Ketchel and $3,753 to either her husband Chuck, her son Chad or herself. Blogger Sharon Cobb revels in the news and Mike Byrd calls for the reporting of the bigger picture.
On the same day this news is released, Politico profiles Blackburn discussing her preference for the term “congressman” despite her obvious femininity.
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Post Politics: 7 April 2008 - Afternoon Edition
Posted on April 8, 2008 at 10:07 amBrentwood’s Truman Bean suggests that Tom Leatherwood’s challenge to Marsha Blackburn for the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District may have more to do with geography than ideology.
A close aide to Hillary Clinton has resigned to spearhead the “Vote Both” movement, a push to promote a joint Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama ticket.
The New York Times discusses the rise of an “enlightened survivalism.”
Sen. Roy Herron will be introducing his bill to create a “nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible” to the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
Les Jones asks this question in light of the recent controversy over the openness of the state’s gun permit database: “[I]f you were a crazy ex-husband who wanted to kill your ex-wife in defiance of an order of protection, wouldn’t you want to know if she has a permit to carry? More importantly, wouldn’t you want to know where she had moved to in order to get away from you?”
A liberal Memphis blogger is dismayed that Congressman John Tanner will not face a challenge in the 8th District Democratic primary but hopes he will use the opportunity to share his substantial war chest to help elect more Democrats around the country.
ORNL and the State of Tennessee will partner to built on of the world’s largest supercomputers with a $65 million dollar assist from the National Science Foundation.
Sean Braisted takes issue with the description of Sen. Rosalind Kurita’s Democratic primary opponent as a political novice.
An interesting debate on the concept of grandparent rights at KnoxvilleTalks.
The Rutherford County Board of Education will provide relief to its contract bus drivers in light of escalating gas prices.
Ron Paul supporter and Libertarian candidate for the state House in District 58, Lisa Leeds, shares her political evolution to the revolution in a recent e-mail to supporters: “I have been involved in some way, shape or form in politics since I turned 18. I worked on the Mondale campaign that year, and other campaigns through the years. In 2004, I worked on the Kerry Campaign and this when I came to see the light I did in fit the mold of a Democrat.”
A state comptroller’s audit reveals that the Sportsmen’s Wildlife Foundation has not been been efficient or effective in “establishing and administering” programs as proscribed by legislation which earmarked monies from the sale of a state specialty license plate. The Sportsmen’s Wildlife Foundation was founded by former state Rep. H.E. Bittle of Knoxville who also sponsored the legislation directing monies for the plate sales to the organization.
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