« Strong Stuff - Independence edition | Main | Help Me Help John Bailes: We Have One Month »
July 03, 2006
Out and about: McMinn and Monroe Counties
On Saturday the family drove up to the western NC mountains for a brief respite. It was good to leave work and house chores (and even the blogging and column-writing) behind, but of course I always bring an observant eye when it's an election year.
While driving, about all one can deduce from an area's political leanings is what the number of billboards and yard signs tell. And while that's by no means a perfect measure, often a lopsided accounting does reveal the strength of public sentiment in one direction or another.
Case in point: Mike Bell for State House (District 23). I believe I saw two signs during the entire journey for Bell's incumbent rival in the upcoming GOP primary, Bob McKee. Maybe if I had driven through a different part of the district (McKee is from Niota) I would have seen more. However, Bell signs dotted lawns and byways all throughout the region.
What this says to me is that the state party is out to get Bob McKee. I'm too cynical to think that Mike Bell, as nice as he seems to be, could have occasioned such a groundswell on his own. I could, as you're sure to point out, be wrong. Anyway, it doesn't look good for McKee in 23. I'm not much of a fan of Bell's hyperconservative politics, but I'm disgusted enough with Speaker Naifeh to give anyone a second look who might present a chance to shake up the top-down system we've got in the House.
In the State Senate, District 9, Rep. Dewayne Bunch was the only candidate whose signs seem to have made it to McMinn from down Bradley way. (Monroe County is in District 5, where Sen. Randy McNally has a lock.)
What surprised me on this drive through the beautiful countryside was the lack of signs for the US Senate candidates. I saw one 4x6 for Ed Bryant in Etowah, and a couple of Bob Corker yard signs (paired with Mike Bell signs). Van Hilleary's name was nowhere to be seen (maybe Jennifer's made the rounds?); not as surprisingly, neither was Harold Ford's. The silver lining to this apparent lack of attention on the federal front is the plethora of local election activity. We all ought to be more aware and more involved in our municipal and county races.
Then again, the state and federal elections aren't until November 7, so I'll have to drive through again sometime around the middle of October and see what's up. With so much energy around this GOP Senate primary, one would think that the campaign volunteers would be getting the message out.
What does the signage look like in your neck of the woods, or in your favorite spots away from home?
State House Elections , State Senate Elections , US Senate Elections | By joe lance | 11:15 AM