Daily Dose for April 04, 2008

TN GOP Wants Gun Owners Info for Campaign For Gun Owner Privacy

TN GOP Wants Gun Owners Info for Campaign For Gun Owner Privacy -- The same day as it criticized House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh for killing a provision that would have made the names of concel and carry permit holders exempt from state open records laws, the TN GOP requested the list of those who own gun carry permits. Aware of the irony of their request, the state GOP now plans on campaigning to gun owners to advocate a change of regime at the General Assembly. TN GOP Spokesman Bill Hobbs: "We would have preferred to be unable to get the records." TN Dem Spokesman Wade Munday responds: "This is more than a brutal case of irony; this is the Tennessee Republican Party making Tennessee gun owners collateral damage as they invade their privacy."

Qualifying Update -- Here's the latest. At least 40 of the state's 95 state representatives drew no opponent to their re-election bids. That included 21 Republican incumbents and 19 Democrats.

• Racist eugenics backer James Hart qualified again to run against Congressman John Tanner.
• State Sen. Mike Williams has qualified to run for reelection, despite earlier rumors that he would step down. Williams, the Senate's only Independent will face a three-way race in the general election between Republican Mike Faulk and Democrat Phillip Mabe.
• State Sen. Jamie Woodson will face Dem Gary Farmer in the general
• Blogging State Rep. Stacey Campfield has two GOP primary challengers in Ronald Leadbetter and Jonathan Katsiros. Leadbetter seems serious about the race. He's retired from his job at UT to make the run.
• Rep. Joe Armstrong faces a nominal primary challenge in the 15th House District against Charles "Pete" Drew. Rachel Ray (no, not that one) is running as a Republican.
• Rep. Bill Dunn will face the winner in the Democratic race between Barbara Nicodemus and Charlotte Meyer
• Presumptive GOP primary winner Ryan Haynes will have to get through Thomas Baer in a GOP primary in 14th House District being vacated by Rep. Parkey Strader. No Democrats filed.
• Sen. Jim Kyle, Sen. Beverly Marrero, Sen. Mark Norris, Rep. Brian Kelsey, Rep. Jeanne Richardson, Rep. John DeBerry, Rep. Steve McManus, Rep. Jim Coley, and Rep. Ron Lollar are all unopposed.

Ford Wants Another Crack at Cohen -- Brother of Harold Ford, Jr., Jake Ford, wants another crack at 9th district Congressman Steve Cohen. Ford is going to make another run for 9th Congressional district as an Independent. Ford blasted Cohen on his race saying TN deserves at least one black Congressman. Ford: "We only have one district in the state of Tennessee where we can elect African-Americans. I would think for diversity purposes ... we would at least want to have one black in Congress representing the state" Cohen also faces a plethora of candidates in a Democratic primary, including Nikki Tinker, who he narrowly won against in 2006.

Posted by Adam Groves | Email This |