Daily Dose for July 05, 2006

Daily Dose

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Independence Day. The July heat is concurrent with a rise in the heat in the U.S. Senate race, in particular the Republican primary. It's not surprising, then, that today's Daily Dose is all about the Senate race.

The Nashville City Paper reports, "with a month to go, the 'horse race' that is the Republican U.S. Senate primary is coming down the stretch and heading for home. The final jockeying for position begins now." Both Bryant and Hilleary, who have had limited TV advertising exposure compared to Corker will be starting their television campaigns soon. Bryant reveals the strategy: "the voters Corker 'transferred from Van' are a 'soft vote' contingent that could be easily swayed." Presumably Bryant is talking here about the voters that Corker has won over from his television ad that previously may have backed Van Hilleary because of his high name recognition coming off the 2002 Governor's race. That soft vote will have to be swayed in less than a month, however - which means extensive television advertising with bitterly negative advertising that could take away one vote for every one vote gained. If the quotes from GOP sources are any concern, the party is already concerned about coming together after the final month of campaigning. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, all three candidates have told Tennessee GOP Chair Bob Davis they will be behind the voter's choice after August 3. Ed Cromer, a noted political commentator says it'll be hard, though:

I guess the real question is can they mend fences once the primary is over. Considering how hard some of the feelings have been, it probably won’t be that easy, although these things do have a way of settling down once the election is over...It kind of amused me that the Republicans were complaining about the use of the Three Stooges [by Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr.]. That’s mild compared to ‘two-faced’ and ‘double talk.’

Van Hilleary, the author of many of those pejoratives tells the Memphis Commercial Appeal his campaign has the blues. After complaining that high gasoline prices that have "shot my campaign budget apart," Hilleary bemoans GOP "kingmakers" who contributed to his former ascendency as a U.S. Representative, but are now supporting Bob Corker - and supported Jim Henry in the 2002 GOP primary. Hilleary and Bryant may have more than just old enemies to confront - the Knoxville News-Sentinel looks at the possibility that Bob Corker may get cross-over votes from Democrats voting in the GOP primary.

Posted by Adam Groves | Email This |