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September 11, 2009
Senate District 31: Candidate Field Narrows to Pointless Primary
Tom Humphrey notes that two less well-known candidates have withdrawn from the state Senate District 31 primary elections. Republican Brian Kelsey and Democrat Adrienne Pakis-Gillon have effectively won their respective party nominations in the...Posted by joe lance on 6:31 AM | Comments (1)
September 8, 2009
Rep. Kelsey Will Likely Resign House Seat, Force Special Election
A press release posted today by A.C. Kleinheider confirms what many suspected would happen, given the narrow majority held by state Republicans in the House of Representatives: Germantown, TN - State Representative Brian Kelsey...Posted by joe lance on 1:00 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2009
Senate 17: Givens Up Again
Of the seventeen Tennessee Senate seats up for election in 2010, only a couple so far are known to be open seats. One of these is in District 17, where Sen. Mae Beavers is...Posted by joe lance on 7:57 AM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2009
What Paul Stanley Did to House Republicans—And You And Me
The 2008 elections gave Tennessee Republicans the barest of majorities in the state House of Representatives: 50-49. And even then, they were not able to elect a Speaker as a caucus, since Kent Williams...Posted by joe lance on 7:18 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2009
McManus Will Not Run
As several have already pointed out in the hours since the announcement, the District 31 Senate seat ingloriously vacated by Paul Stanley essentially has Rep. Brian Kelsey's name on it, now that Kelsey's fellow...Posted by joe lance on 4:47 PM | Comments (0)
House 62, Senate 31, Memphis Mayor Special Election Updates
A candidate forum will be held on Tuesday in Bedford County, where voters can meet the four Republicans and one independent who are running in the October 13 special election to replace former Rep....Posted by joe lance on 8:57 AM | Comments (0)
August 9, 2009
Representative Stacey Campfield to Run for District Seven Senate Seat
In a blog post titled simply, "I'm in," state Rep. Stacey Campfield (R-18) announced his intention to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Tim Burchett, a fellow Republican. Sen. Burchett plans...Posted by joe lance on 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 5, 2009
2009 Special Election Dates Set in Shelbyville and Shelby County
Shelbyville, Fayetteville, Eagleville A special election will be held in Tennessee House of Representatives District 62, which includes Bedford County and parts of Lincoln and Rutherford Counties, to replace Rep. Curt Cobb, who resigned...Posted by joe lance on 12:13 PM | Comments (1)
August 4, 2009
The Senate is the Senate: Now with Firebrands?
Post Politics blogger A.C. Kleinheider, writing his weekly column in the Nashville City Paper, wonders if the Tennessee Senate might become populated with a few more "extreme" members after this year's special election in...Posted by joe lance on 8:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2009
Paul Stanley to Resign; Any Others?
In a letter to Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, Sen. Paul Stanley of District 31 today announced his intent to resign effective August 10. Stanley had come under increasing pressure from party officials to step...Posted by joe lance on 10:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2009
Updates on Sen. Paul Stanley Affair, Extortion Story
Here's more information and opinion on this story as located by late morning, 7/22: The Memphis Commercial Appeal WREG-TV A.C. Kleinheider, Post Politics Jeff Woods, Nashville Scene Jackson Baker, Memphis Flyer NewsChannel5 Tom Humphrey,...Posted by joe lance on 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
November 3, 2008
Just for fun: predictions for Election 2008
Here are my humble, futile projections for Tuesday's contests. Candidates on the losing end of these should take heart: I'm wrong more often than I'm right, or 50/50 at best. But that hasn't stopped...Posted by joe lance on 11:20 PM | Comments (2)
October 27, 2008
State Senate roundup, part two
It's past time to pick up where we left off the other day. There's little time to waste on introductions, so here we go. District 18: Incumbent Senator Diane Black (R) faces Democratic challenger...Posted by joe lance on 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2008
The Tennessee State Senate: A chamber in the balance
The election is two weeks away, and it's time to get our thoughts together about what really could happen in 2009 as a result of our actions on November 4. This is the year...Posted by joe lance on 9:04 PM | Comments (1)
September 17, 2008
Barnes installed as Democratic nominee in Senate District 22
A.C. Kleinheider was there, and gave us the play-by-play. Score a win for partisanship, cheerleading, and empty vengefulness. Mark a loss for the "demo-" part of "democracy." Or, in another sense, the primary will...Posted by joe lance on 10:57 PM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2008
When political parties exceed their purpose
Some in the blogosphere have used the events surrounding Rosalind Kurita's reelection struggle as a call for party registration in the state. I respect that view, because I know the intent is to establish clarity in determining electoral outcomes. (However, if we went that way, we'd have to have ballot access and party registration for all, not just two; know what I'm sayin'?)Posted by joe lance on 11:13 PM | Comments (6)
A shakeup, a shakedown, and a breakdown in the race to control the Tennessee Senate
The Nashville Post's A. C. Kleinheider -- hereafter called the Kleinheider 5000, as I'm convinced it's a machine, not a man -- has been virtually nonstop in covering some rather sordid developments in the...Posted by joe lance on 7:20 AM | Comments (2)
September 5, 2008
Berke barbecue builds ballot bridges
Tennessee state Senator Andy Berke kicked off his campaign for reelection to the 10th District seat Wednesday evening at Chattanooga's Bessie Smith Hall. Guests filled the venue to near capacity and ate catered barbecue...Posted by joe lance on 12:09 PM | Comments (1)
September 3, 2008
It's Party Time: General Assembly elections enter pro season
Maybe it's just the MSM brainwashing (I joke), but I tend to consider Labor Day as the beginning of campaign season proper -- for elections in November, that is -- and here we are,...Posted by joe lance on 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2008
Election qualifying deadline notice
The November 4, 2008 general election has been in sight for a very, very long time for a few candidates for President and their associates. This week marks a milestone in the process for...Posted by joe lance on 12:10 PM | Comments (1)
August 4, 2008
Endorsements, recommendations, and predictions for August 7
The Chattanooga Times Free Press, along with countless other papers in the land, has a tradition of publishing endorsements on the Sunday before any Election Day. The Free Press editorial page even mocks up...Posted by joe lance on 12:22 PM | Comments (4)
August 2, 2008
I am voting today
Saturday, August 2, 2008 -- the last day of early voting for the August 7 county general and state/federal primary elections. Since I will be at the Brainerd Rec Center all day on Thursday,...Posted by joe lance on 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2008
Rogers' bucks
R. Neal reports at TennViews that the Senate District 16 race is drawing some sizable donations. Jean Anne Rogers, Democratic primary candidate from Tennessee's 16h Senate District, raised $98,696 during the second quarter. Jim...Posted by joe lance on 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
July 7, 2008
Reading the signs
On Saturday, July 5, I had the opportunity to breeze through a few parts of Tennessee not in my usual routine, and, as I always do during election season, I had an eye out...Posted by joe lance on 8:15 AM | Comments (4)
April 5, 2008
August 2008 TN candidate database
All I can say is that I wish there were more hours in the day. But then, R. Neal and I would have been doing pretty much the same thing, so maybe it's more...Posted by joe lance on 10:24 PM
April 3, 2008
Candidate roundups - updated
Qualifying closed at noon today for the August 7 primaries, which include races for all 99 state House seats and 16 of the state Senate's 33 seats; plus all 9 U.S. House districts, and...Posted by joe lance on 6:55 PM
March 20, 2008
Our Wilder years will soon be behind us (for realz - see update 2)
Sean Braisted links to a subscription-protected article in the Nashville Post that indicates what we have all known was inevitable, but undoubtedly comes as a mild shock to many: longtime state Senator and former...Posted by joe lance on 7:33 PM
March 19, 2008
Primarily speaking
Maybe it's just me, but it seems as though there is a slight increase this election year in challenges to incumbent General Assembly members by contenders within the incumbents' own parties....Posted by joe lance on 9:12 PM
March 18, 2008
Somebody call Heidi Klum
So, there is no announcement yet as to longtime state Senator John Wilder's intentions. A report surfaced yesterday in which unnamed sources were cited as saying that the former Lt. Governor will retire. Today...Posted by joe lance on 9:24 PM
March 17, 2008
Faulk in a walk
State Senator Mike Williams, the only Independent in the General Assembly, appears not to be running for re-election this year in the Fourth District, which would presumably usher in Republican newcomer Mike Faulk without...Posted by joe lance on 8:02 AM
January 16, 2008
GOP throwdown in Maryville
Maryville Republican Rep. Doug Overbey will challenge 8th District Senator Raymond Finney, also a Maryville Republican, in this year's primary. This sort of thing doesn't happen every day. Reactions: VolunteerVoters Overbey voted for Speaker...Posted by joe lance on 9:50 PM
December 3, 2007
Open seat bonanza
Adam Groves posted this morning that Rep. Parkey Strader, a Republican from Knoxville, will not be seeking re-election in 2008. Strader has not only been battling liver cancer, but has also been somewhat embroiled...Posted by joe lance on 8:33 PM
November 16, 2007
Former rivals support Oscar Brock on election night
At least two GOP candidates who ran against Oscar Brock in the October 4 primary for the District 10 seat won yesterday by Democrat Andy Berke were on hand to lend their support for...Posted by joe lance on 12:41 PM
November 15, 2007
Brock concedes in District 10
Calling the last 90 days or so "an amazing experience," Republican candidate Oscar Brock spoke to a few dozen supporters at his campaign headquarters on McCallie Avenue as election results showed that rival Andy...Posted by joe lance on 10:16 PM
Election night plans
I'll be covering the Brock campaign as GOP supporters watch the returns come in tomorrow night. The full story will appear in next week's Pulse (news editor Angela Tant will be at the Berke...Posted by joe lance on 10:48 AM
November 14, 2007
Senate 14: Jerry Cooper's future
You no doubt know by now that the largest campaign finance penalty in Tennessee history was leveled at Senator Jerry Cooper of Morristown. Another corrupt politician has been caught (even though he escaped the...Posted by joe lance on 10:58 PM
November 13, 2007
District 10 candidates sprint to finish
The Democrats had their Kefauver Dinner last night. How did that go? Surely a couple of TT readers went. State Senator Roy Herron, who's apparently also on a book tour, preached to the choir...Posted by joe lance on 12:27 PM
November 11, 2007
Bob and Bill — and Lamar!
Last week, I commented on the fact that while Democratic candidate Andy Berke, one of two men seeking to replace Ward Crutchfield in the Tennessee Senate's 10th District, had lined up the support of...Posted by joe lance on 9:50 AM
November 9, 2007
Knock, knock for Brock
If you get a knock on your door this Saturday, November 10, your visitor might be a supporter trying to drum up votes for GOP state Senate candidate Oscar Brock. The campaign plans to...Posted by joe lance on 10:15 AM
November 8, 2007
Governor to campaign with Berke Saturday
The Democrats are pulling out all the stops to get their nominee elected to the state Senate in the upcoming special election. Last week, former U.S. Rep. and current DLC Chairman Harold Ford, Jr....Posted by joe lance on 4:20 PM
November 7, 2007
Effective campaign ads for the younger set
Well, I can say this: this political ad plays very well to the 3-year-old crowd. The boy appears to think that Andy Berke has cute daughters. Good lord, what are we in for? And...Posted by joe lance on 8:23 PM
Endorsements (and not)
Two notable endorsements were announced today in the presidential campaign. Former GOP candidate and current U.S. Senator from Kansas, Sam Brownback, threw his support to fellow Senator John McCain (R-AZ). I am a little...Posted by joe lance on 5:47 PM
Reception for Oscar Brock from 5-7pm today
I'm just passing this along as an announcement. From the e-mail: Tonight - Wednesday, November 7th 5:00 -7:00 PM VFW Post 4848, 1491 Riverside Drive Next to the Boathouse The public is invited! Veterans...Posted by joe lance on 2:37 PM
October 25, 2007
District 10 candidates on your mp3 player
The Chattanooga Times Free Press editorial board recently sat down with each of the candidates running to replace former Sen. Ward Crutchfield in the state Senate's 10th District. I have placed links to the...Posted by joe lance on 4:30 PM
October 23, 2007
Final District 10 debate set
Candidates Andy Berke (D-Chattanooga) and Oscar Brock (R-Lookout Mountain) will face off for the last time before early voting begins this Friday in the special election to fill the District 10 seat in the...Posted by joe lance on 9:48 AM
October 15, 2007
Is District 4 (TN Senate) a lock for reclamation by the GOP?
[Update: It occurred to me that the original post title may have led one to believe that I'm speculating about Tennessee's 4th Congressional district, currently held by U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Pall Mall. In...Posted by joe lance on 10:40 PM
October 13, 2007
Brainerd residents seek answers from District 10 candidates
As a follow-up to Thursday night's post, here are some more details from the Brainerd debate. The audience wrote questions on index cards, and though I had a small stack of those to start...Posted by joe lance on 8:08 PM
October 12, 2007
District 10 straw poll results
I don't have exact numbers, but I'm told that Andy Berke won roughly 2/3 of the votes in a straw poll that was taken at the Brainerd Forum after last night's debate. About 60...Posted by joe lance on 4:07 PM
October 11, 2007
District 10 candidates square off in first post-primary debate
The Friendship Community Church played host tonight to the Brainerd Forum, which featured an hour-long debate between the two general election candidates in next month's special election to fill the 10th District Senate seat....Posted by joe lance on 9:54 PM
October 9, 2007
Tennessee bloggers on District 10 candidates
Hopefully we'll see more of this as the weeks go by, but today there was good news in my RSS reader, in that several of Nashville's leading bloggers posted critical arguments over the merits...Posted by joe lance on 2:54 PM
October 6, 2007
Oppo-tunity knocks, opens door on candidate's past
And, here we go. One day after the primary firmly established Andy Berke and Oscar Brock as the nominees in the 10th Senate District special election, a news item was written — and appeared...Posted by joe lance on 1:50 PM
October 4, 2007
Berke, Brock win primaries
The results are in, and the funding leaders also came out the vote winners. The Democrat and Republican who will face each other in the November 15 special election are Andy Berke and Oscar...Posted by joe lance on 10:39 PM
October 2, 2007
State Senate 10th District general election debate set
Chattanooga, TN — With the District 10 State Senate primary set for Thursday, October 4, the Brainerd Unity Group (BUG) announces a District 10 senate forum slated for Thursday, October 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m. “We...Posted by joe lance on 6:35 PM
September 27, 2007
Enjoy in moderation
One week from tonight, we will know the Democratic and Republican parties' choices for the November 15 general election in Senate District 10. One week later, the two nominees will face me* in a...Posted by joe lance on 10:33 PM
September 25, 2007
Layne Country: District 10 candidate series
Sometime after I landed in the Tennessee Valley some eighteen years back, I happened across someone from the area, who at some point got around to telling me where he lived. I kid you...Posted by joe lance on 11:23 AM
Jordan Airs: District 10 candidate series
Ken Jordan and I met for coffee at a downtown Chattanooga roaster's on Saturday afternoon. He had some business in town (he currently lives in South Pittsburg), and I had a break from my...Posted by joe lance on 9:10 AM
September 21, 2007
Where is Ken Jordan? (updated)
Ken Jordan has more signs up than anybody, but his web presence cannot be found, and he was not part of the candidate roundtable I just watched on WTCI. (Don't worry: if you missed...Posted by joe lance on 9:02 PM
September 18, 2007
Berke Learnin': District 10 Candidate Series
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, schedules aligned favorably for a meeting with Andy Berke, Democratic primary contender for the state senate in the special election for District 10. We met at his campaign...Posted by joe lance on 11:40 PM
September 14, 2007
Early voting begins today in District 10
There's no way I am voting today, because I haven't met or at least educated myself on all the candidates. If your mind is made up, however, then go for it, I guess. I...Posted by joe lance on 8:31 AM
September 13, 2007
Albertini Time: District 10 Candidate Series
I cautiously walked into the house in Highland Park where I had agreed to meet Mark Albertini, one of five Republican candidates seeking their party's nomination for election to the 10th District seat formerly...Posted by joe lance on 9:17 PM
September 5, 2007
District 10 candidate website updates
Over the long weekend, I was informed that Republican candidate Mark Albertini has a website. The URL "www.VoteMarkAlbertini.com" did redirect to his Blogger site, but now doesn't seem to. Here's Albertini's blog. Just a...Posted by joe lance on 9:00 PM
August 30, 2007
Let's Have the Candidates for Lunch
Public notice to all Senate District 10 special election candidates: As you may have seen, I recently published some observations stemming from a conversation with GOP candidate Oscar Brock, who is running in the...Posted by joe lance on 12:53 PM
August 29, 2007
Brock Steady: District 10 Candidate Series
I sat down to lunch with State Senate District 10 candidate Oscar Brock today, and chatted about that upcoming election (duh), local and state political history, and the (rather sorry, we seemed to agree)...Posted by joe lance on 10:21 PM
August 23, 2007
Ten in the 10th: Two Thumbs Up
For the past couple of days, I have watched the primary ballots in the 10th District special election swell from one candidate apiece to almost a double handful. Yet, even with the addition of...Posted by joe lance on 7:03 PM
August 22, 2007
More Candidates in District 10
What was I thinking? Of course Walt "Combat" Ward and Basil Marceaux I are running. Are candidate qualifying petitions public record? The signatories have to be registered voters who reside in the district (so...Posted by joe lance on 7:18 PM
August 21, 2007
We Have A Primary After All in District 10
I wasn't surprised about John Wolfe, but I was surprised about the news that Ken Jordan is announcing in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 10. Maybe that's because it was John Wolfe who...Posted by joe lance on 11:07 PM
August 20, 2007
We Have A General Election Race
I've now updated the placeholder Special Elections page to indicate the news that Oscar Brock announced today for District 10. I'm also assuming that Randy Russell and Arnold Stulce are out, since there is...Posted by joe lance on 8:16 PM
August 15, 2007
Senate District 4 Race Underway (Already)
The 2008 election cycle includes, in addition to the White House race, one-third of the 100 seats in the United States Senate; the full 435-member US House; roughly one-half of the Tennessee Senate (all...Posted by joe lance on 10:42 AM
August 14, 2007
Killian's Yellow?
Sorry about the bad beer pun. I am simply floored by the way the lone announced candidate in the race to replace former Senator Ward Crutchfield, Andy Berke, has been able to clear the...Posted by joe lance on 2:42 PM
August 7, 2007
Dates for District 10 Special Election
Primary election: October 4, 2007 General election: November 15, 2007 Qualifying deadline: August 23, 2007 What is the qualifying deadline? you ask. In Tennessee, any non-felonious person, subject to age requirements, can be a...Posted by joe lance on 12:50 PM
July 20, 2007
Senate District 10 Update
Don Loftis has taken his name out of the running, according to Chattanoogan.com. This is an interesting development, and signals a definite advantage, at least at this point, for Andrew Berke, who could possibly...Posted by joe lance on 10:29 PM
July 18, 2007
Dem Oppo Research for Former Crutchfield Seat
Here's an interesting thing. Someone at Global Strategy Group has hit this site several times in the past couple of days due to their internet searches on names that have been floated as possible...Posted by joe lance on 7:22 PM
July 15, 2007
Senate District 10 Candidate Parade Begins
Three local and state beat reporters for the big Chattanooga daily published a roundup Saturday of the potential names we could see on ballots as early as this fall in a special election to...Posted by joe lance on 12:00 AM
March 21, 2007
Senatorial Equinox
The man on the fence gets hit from both sides The Tennessee Senate felt another shift in its teetering balance last week when former Speaker Pro Tem Micheal Williams (Maynardville — and that’s his...Posted by joe lance on 11:51 AM
March 1, 2007
Google Gossip for 3/1/2007
What is Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell planning next? Will he attempt to follow Phil Bredesen's path to the Governor's mansion, as some have speculated? Well, this afternoon, someone on a Metro Nashville computer searched...Posted by joe lance on 10:13 PM
January 26, 2007
The Newest State Senator (-to-be): Beverly Marrero
The Democratic Party held its primary election to nominate a candidate for the state Senate in District 30, which had been represented by Congressman Steve Cohen. The partisans overwhelmingly backed state House member Beverly...Posted by joe lance on 12:53 PM
December 8, 2006
Battle for the General Assembly 2010
Never mind Rudy, Hillary, Brownback or Obama. Governor Phil's officially out of the running, so Tennessee's political minds are staying closer to home and looking at the 2008 legislative elections already. Never mind that...Posted by joe lance on 6:54 PM
November 10, 2006
Independence for All the Wrong Reasons
It can't be for any other reason than a plan to support Lt. Gov. John Wilder in yet another term. By way of Kleinheider, we hear that Sen. Mike Williams is considering changing his...Posted by joe lance on 11:48 AM
October 19, 2006
How to Be A Volunteer Voter
Kleinheider, picking up on one of David Oatney's insights, issues a marvelous challenge: If one truly had the interests of good government at heart one would have to hope for the swift decline of...Posted by joe lance on 9:56 PM
October 17, 2006
We Need One of These
I got an email announcing a new website called Predict06.com. The email stroked my ego enough to get them a mention here. The idea looks pretty good, but I have yet to register and...Posted by joe lance on 12:13 PM
October 12, 2006
Battle for the Tennessee Senate
As you know by now, seventeen state Senate seats are up for election on November 7, and the Republicans are desperate to at least hold on to their slim margin, which they feel will...Posted by joe lance on 12:12 PM
Oh, man, that's Lowe
Sorry -- that title was supposed to be Finney. (I'll be here all week.) At least there are a couple of interesting races in the Tennessee Senate. I'm working on a roundup of the...Posted by joe lance on 8:49 AM
September 29, 2006
District 33 Update
The ever-eminent Tennessee Politics Blog alerts us to the withdrawal of one Michael Floyd from the District 33 Senate race. Floyd is a Republican who had intended on facing former Sen. Kathryn Bowers in...Posted by joe lance on 2:58 PM
September 20, 2006
Two Parties See A Chance at Controlling State Senate
Sean Braisted posted today that the Senate Democratic Caucus, led by Sen. Joe Haynes, is drumming up support for candidates in what they apparently consider to be key (i.e., winnable) districts. All of the...Posted by joe lance on 11:13 PM
September 3, 2006
Wilder's Days Are Numbered
And I don't mean in general, in spite of his advanced age. For all I know the man could live to be 135. No, I'm working on a column for the Chattanooga Pulse, and...Posted by joe lance on 2:11 PM
July 26, 2006
For Your Voting Consideration - The Civic Forum endorsements
There’s no need for a long introduction here—let’s just get right to the point. Each elected office* that will appear on ballots in at least one precinct in Hamilton County on August 3 is...Posted by joe lance on 7:34 AM
July 3, 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...Posted by joe lance on 11:15 AM
June 28, 2006
Inevita-Phil-ity - And when your choices aren’t your own
Nominee by Decree Governor Phil Bredesen has managed his way through more than one seemingly intractable situation during his term. That figures, as he’s reportedly a highly skilled manager. He might have seen the...Posted by joe lance on 10:50 AM
June 20, 2006
Battle for the General Assembly 2006: Senate Districts 1, 3, 5, 7
There aren't a lot of contested primaries in this year's Senate elections, but their small number is made up for in potential intensity. We'll walk through all of the odd-numbered districts in this series,...Posted by joe lance on 11:34 PM