Fighting to win Tennessee
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This Tuesday, Tennessee voters will decide which Democrat wins the state primary and creeps closer to a chance of defeating Bush for the presidency.
The Democratic nomination is a three-man battle between front-runner John Kerry, who has won seven state primaries, and Wesley Clark and John Edwards, who have each won one state. Former front-runner Howard Dean has been knocked off the political map and hasn’t been a factor.
“I’m for anybody but Bush,” said local resident Carol Huffman, who indicated she’s been most impressed with Edwards thus far. “I’m for bringing our troops back from Iraq. I don’t have any family members over there, but I know people who do. This war was unnecessary and now the reasons we were given to go to war have turned out to be not so true.”
A recent poll indicates Kerry is running strong in Tennessee, despite spending little time shaking hands here. Clark has been airing TV ads here for months and was the only candidate to pay a visit to McMinnville. Edwards is from South Carolina, which is the primary he won last week.
“Kerry is a decorated Navy man for his service in Vietnam, so I have to go with my Navy buddy,” said McMinnville resident and World War II veteran Bob Thatch. “I like what he stands for. My main concern is too much business is going overseas. Everything you get is made in China.”
Tennessee Democrats have been losing to Republicans for the past three decades and want to avoid another embarrassment like the 2000 presidential race when Bush took Tennessee over native son Al Gore.
Greg Sorrell is a proud Republican who doesn’t believe the Democrats stand a chance against Bush.
“Ask any Democrat how they can run government by spending more money than they take in,” Sorrell said yesterday from Three Star Mall.
“Government should be run more like a household,” added Sorrell, who admitted he wasn’t pleased with the state of politics in general. “I think we need some more politicians because all the ones I’ve seen do nothing but lie to us. I sure don’t want any of those Democrats in there.”
The Democratic party’s biggest star in Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen, has an approval rating of more than 70 percent. His administration has cut the state budget and steered clear of tax increases — a fiscally conservative approach popular with voters.
How any of the three Democrats will fare against Bush, and a campaign which boasts over $100 million in contributions, has yet to be seen. But Thatch believes a Democrat can snatch the presidency.
“The first George Bush was wildly popular and people said you’d be a fool to run against him,” said Thatch. “But Clinton beat him.”
The Tennessee primary was moved up from March to make the state more important in the selection process. Virginia is also holding its primary Tuesday.
“If Kerry takes Tennessee and Virginia, that pretty well solidifies the nomination for him,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Randy Button said.
Associated Press Writer Matt Gouras contributed to this story.