Tennesseethe Journal the Weekly Insiders Newsletter on Tennessee Government, Politics, and Business Vol
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TennesseeThe Journal The weekly insiders newsletter on Tennessee government, politics, and business Vol. 44, No. 3 January 19, 2018 Black to sit out first televised debate of 2018 governor’s race The open race for Tennessee governor reaches a to seek a third term – and the ensuing excitement about milestone on Tuesday with its first televised debate. All who would seek to succeed him – has further drawn of the major candidates are scheduled to attend the attention away from the governor’s race. But with the forum about education issues with one major exception: primary just over six months away, the candidates are Republican U.S. Rep. Diane Black plans to sit it out, going to have to start building their cases for why voters with her campaign citing scheduling conflicts. should pick them to become their party’s nominee. Black’s campaign has so far been the most aggressive And if Black is indeed as far ahead as some believe, about lobbing attacks at her Republican rivals, but joint she may have the most to lose by giving her rivals the appearances with former Economic and Community opportunity to take her on in a public forum. Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, state House Fake debate? While Democratic candidates Karl Speaker Beth Harwell, businessman Bill Lee, and for- Dean, the former mayor of Nashville, and state House mer state Sen. Mae Beavers have largely been cordial Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh were invited to the tele- (and sometimes sleepy) affairs. vised debate, Republican candidate Kay White of John- While reliable head-to-head polling has yet to materi- son City was not. She decried it as a “fake debate.” alize, Black is widely considered the GOP frontrunner White said in a press release that organizers denied based on name recognition, her personal wealth, and her on the basis of her modest fundraising haul so far, the passage of the sweeping Republican tax overhaul but she argues that she won’t have to divulge her dona- while she was chair of the House Budget Committee tions until “later this spring.” (The next campaign (she has since stepped aside from that role). finance disclosures for state candidates are due Jan. 31.) The hour-long debate at Belmont University in Nash- White echoed the dissent among some Republicans ville is hosted by the State Collaborative on Reforming about the bipartisan nature of the debate and over the Education (SCORE), the Gannett newspapers and state Democratic and Republican parties signing on as WTVF-TV. The candidates are expected to field partner organizations. A letter circulating among con- about five or six questions, with answers and closing servative activists claims state Republican Party Chair- comments limited to one minute each. They will be man Scott Golden was pressured to endorse the event prohibited from asking each other questions or by GOP establishment figures eager to promote Boyd. engaging in back-and-forth discussions. Golden said the party’s only aim was to ensure a fair Black also did not attend a gubernatorial forum format for the candidates to detail their education posi- hosted by Healthy Tennessee and Lipscomb University tions, and that the state GOP will only support a candi- on Friday that featured the Republican and Democratic date once the nomination is secured. candidates appearing one-by-one, without any interac- tion with their rivals. Attack ad. A political action committee called Ten- nessee Jobs Now began running radio ads featuring The 2018 governor’s race has been an unusual one sound of a man flushing money down the toilet rather from a media coverage standpoint, with none of the can- than let “dishonest Diane Black” get her hands on it. The didates going out of their way to keep reporters from the spot rehashes a TV spot Lou Ann Zelenik ran against state’s major news organizations informed in advance Black during their first congressional primary contest in about their appearances or whereabouts. Most appear 2010, implying that Black as a state senator directed happy to rely on after-the-fact Twitter and Facebook state money to Aegis Sciences, the drug testing company posts about groups they recently met with, selfies with run by her husband (which he has since left). The com- supporters, or events they had dropped in on. pany lost a defamation lawsuit against Zelenik, who in Republican Sen. Bob Corker’s surprise decision not turn sued for malice and willful intent. THE TENNESSEE JOURNAL (ISSN 0194-1240) is published weekly except for one week in June, one in September, and Christmas week by M. Lee Smith Publishers®, a divi- sion of BLR®,100 Winners Circle, Suite 300, Brentwood TN 37027, 615/373-7517 or 1-877-826-5297. Periodicals postage paid at Franklin TN and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TENNESSEE JOURNAL, P.O. Box 5094, Brentwood TN 37024-5094. Copyright 2018 M. Lee Smith Publishers, a division of BLR. Photocopying or reproducing in any form in whole or in part is a violation of federal copyright law and is strictly prohibited without the publisher’s consent. Editor: Erik Schelzig ([email protected]) • Vice President/Legal: Brad Forrister Contributing Editors: Jackson Baker, Tom Humphrey • Editorial Coordinator: Savannah Gilman The radio ads were later pulled from the airwaves by a long-ago mission trip to Haiti for inspiring him to seek Nashville-area stations WWTN, WGFX, and WLAC. public office, has also not spoken out about the presi- The Tennessee Jobs Now PAC lists a Nashville dent’s recent comments disparaging immigrants from address, and its treasurer as Maria Wojciechowski of that country and from Africa. Herndon, Va., who is also registered with the Federal The poll memo did not include any head-to-head Election Commission as treasurer of the Future45 Super results for a general election match-up with Democrat PAC. The Center for Responsive Politics says that PAC Phil Bredesen. spent more than $24 million on ads attacking Hillary Dream come true? Blackburn campaign adviser Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign. Media Ward Baker sent out a memo trumpeting the latest poll reports indicate Future45 PAC is substantially funded results and declaring that the results are “in line with by billionaire TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and every single data point we have seen to date.” Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Baker noted that donors gave $500,000 more to The Tennessee Jobs Now PAC’s website is registered Blackburn than to Fincher last quarter, despite the for- to James McKay, a New Hampshire political operative mer congressman’s boasts that “we will not be out- who ran a group called Indiana Jobs Now in support of raised, and we will not be outworked.” Tennessee transplant Trey Hollingsworth’s successful Baker stressed that a contentious and expensive congressional bid there in 2016. The congressman’s Republican primary campaign could be “a dream come father, Joe Hollingsworth of Clinton, Tenn., has given true for Democrats.” $8,000 to Boyd’s gubernatorial bid. The Boyd camp Solar investment. Silicon Ranch, the company said it has nothing to do with the ads. chaired by Bredesen and run by two of his former com- The elder Hollingsworth publicly contemplated a missioners, has sold a nearly 44% stake to Royal Dutch Democratic bid for governor of Tennessee in 1998, but Shell for up to $217 million. The deal is expected to close ultimately bowed out. during the first quarter, and a separate agreement Beavers endorsement. In what was billed as a allows Shell to increase its ownership after 2021. “an important announcement concerning the cam- Bredesen will remain involved in the company, but paign,” Beavers was endorsed Thursday by former will step aside as chairman if he wins election to the House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s sister, Susan Gingrich Senate in November. of Lenoir City. The company was founded during Bredesen’s last full Political roundup year in office by Matt Kisber, who was commissioner of Poll from Blackburn supporter group economic and community development, and Reagan Farr, who ran the state Revenue Department. Bredesen finds big support for Blackburn in 2010 defended his low six-figure investment into the A poll commissioned by the Club for Growth, the venture while still in office as “perfectly appropriate,” conservative group that endorsed U.S. Rep. Marsha even though he had told Farr that the commissioner Blackburn’s bid for the Senate in October, indicates that would have to leave state government to begin building the Brentwood Republican leads former Rep. Stephen the business. Fincher of Frog Jump by a 53-point margin. Among One of Silicon Ranch’s early high-profile projects was likely Republican voters who have opinions of both can- a solar farm at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, didates, that margin narrowed to 40 percentage points. which Bredesen, Kisber, and Farr played leading roles in Since the poll was conducted for a strong Blackburn bringing to Tennessee in 2008. backer, it’s best to take the results with a grain of salt. More megasite money. Economic and Commu- But even if you quadrupled the claimed margin of error nity Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe told law- of 4.4 percentage points, things would still look pretty makers that he skipped a series of meetings bleak for Fincher, who has yet to release his own polling. surrounding the Detroit Auto Show to make the case for The Club for Growth’s pollster, WPA Intelligence, making the Memphis Regional Megasite “shovel ready” also asked about a hypothetical match-up between for the next big investor after losing out to Alabama for a Blackburn and incumbent Sen.