Mike McWherter is becoming the Democrats' contender in the governor's race by default — which could be the party's best hope
by Jeff Woods
Almost magically, while Republicans have been scrapping in their party primary and dominating the headlines in the governor's race, the pieces quietly have been falling into place for Democrat Mike McWherter.
First one and then another of his rivals have dropped out, leaving the son of Ned as the clear and virtually unchallenged front-runner for his party's nomination. Only Kim McMillan, the underfunded and little-noticed former House majority leader, remains with McWherter in the Democratic primary.
The last opponent to go was Jim Kyle, veteran state senator from Memphis. A week or two beforehand, Kyle had lunch with Ned McWherter in Nashville to suss out the strength of the McWherter family's commitment to the race.
The former governor has always relished his role as political chess master, manipulating one campaign after another for the benefit of himself or his friends. Now at age 79 and long removed from public life, he's back working behind the political scenes, buttonholing contributors and lining up support for Mike.
"Governor McWherter did tell Jim that obviously Mike's in the race to stay and that he's 100 percent supportive of him. He was straight up with Senator Kyle," says McWherter campaign manager Kim Sasser Hayden.
When Kyle dropped out, he cited meager fund-raising and hostility among voters toward Democrats, and that was widely taken as yet another sign of the pathetic state of the once-proud party in Tennessee.
But by quitting, Kyle strengthened his party's chances to keep the governor's office in November. In fact, anointing a nominee, which is essentially what the party has done, might have been the only way for Democrats to make themselves competitive.
Republicans in the race have outraised Democrats by a 5-to-1 margin so far. McWherter now can save his campaign cash for the general election. He also avoids the difficult primary fight that likely will weaken the eventual Republican nominee.
Instead of fending off Democratic attacks, McWherter is free to throw knives directly at the Republicans. He did just that last week, blithely ignoring McMillan at a Tennessee Chamber of Commerce forum to call out Bill Haslam for refusing to disclose all his income or to agree to put his Pilot Corp. holdings into a blind trust if he's elected governor.
"Before I start, I want to get something off my chest," McWherter said. "There's been some issues about candidate disclosure. I have fully disclosed my income taxes for the last three years, and ladies and gentlemen, when I get a chance to go home and figure out last year's, I'll be disclosing last year's as well. I fully intend to put all of my assets into a blind trust once I'm elected. I believe being open and transparent with the voters of Tennessee is a pact you make when you ask for their trust."
McWherter added: "The voters are fed up with politicians who would try to use public office for personal gain. If elected governor, I intend to go the extra mile to ensure that the public's trust is not violated under my administration."
Haslam is taking flak from everywhere. At a GOP forum last week, Shelby County district attorney Bill Gibbons likened Haslam's refusal to disclose his Pilot earnings to "an Olympic athlete declining to take a drug test."
Haslam dismissed all the criticism as mere political gamesmanship. It's a preoccupation of his opponents and the media, he says; voters don't give a damn whether he discloses his income.
"Almost all the people bringing this up are the people who are running against me," Haslam said after speaking in Nashville to the Republicans' First Tuesday club. "In the end, I think people right now understand that these are serious times facing us in this state, and most people quite frankly see this as the politics that it is."
Given the political climate, he said, the GOP nominee should win. But if Republicans sink into the mud in their primary, he warned, they might wind up spoiling their golden opportunity.
"The key here is to have a primary that's talking about issues that people care about. When people say things about you and you're throwing stuff back at them, there's a real reason. I honestly think people want to talk about what matters right now. And I think the more we can do that, it will guarantee that a Republican will be our next governor."
Email editor@nashvillescene.com.
Comments (13)
Showing 1-13 of 13
Whoever the Democrat nominee is is toast. Moderate to liberals' best hope is to support Haslam in the primary or we'll be stuck with one of the mouth breathers from the GOP fringe as our new governor.
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I think it is a mistake to discount Kim McMillan in the race for governor. She is a different candidate, and it makes her a different canidate. Political insiders always point to money as a means to determine votes. I understand this concept and am not naive to the power of money. However, Kim McMillan is not a typical canidate. Her campaign is grassroots. What she lacks in money, she makes up for in support, number of donors, experience and ability. McMillan was on that state with those other candidates at yesterday's forum. And there is no mistaking how much more energetic, intelligent and engaging she is-- especially in comparison to McWherter. And if all the talk is about how the Democrats are worried about beating the Reublicans in the race, then we have to look to Kim McMillan. She is the only democratic candidate that can beat the Republicans. She is the youngest candidate. She is the only femal canidate. She is the only canidate with experience in the state legislature and the state executive branch. She is a university professor. She is a lawyer. she has run her own business. She helped start a bank. She is a mother and a wife. McMillan is the only candidate who knows what it means to balance a family budget, a state budget and a business budget. I think she is the one most in tune and most connected with the people of Tennessee. (And just a warning to conservative Dems and moderate Repubs-- Haslam is not a moderate. He may "play a moderate on TV," but he is defintiely not moderate.)
I agree with the last poster - Kim McMillan has more on the ball than McWerter and better credintials. I've heard both speak in a recent Q&A forum. McWerter was bland, almost scripted while McMillan was energetic, obviously intellient, well spoken, and up on the issues at hand. Ned was an okay governor, but that doesn't mean that his son will measure up just because he has the name. I think McMillan would make a better alternate choice to whomever the Republicans end up choosing. As a political independent I always hope for a contest between two good candidates rather than the "lesser of two evils."
I could not disagree with you more. Kim McMillan has been my candidate of choice right from the very beginning. Her fundraising efforts have improved recently. As she gets out and talks with people across the state, they are very impressed with her qualifications and background. She has the experience in state government from both the legislative and executive branches. Her experience in higher education is also impressive. She listens to people which is one thing I really admire about her. She will make a great governor!
Kim is an excellent candidate who has a campaign that has stretched across this entire state. She is the only candidate on either side of the aisle that has experience in both the legislative and executive branches. She has experience building her own law practice, as well. Kim's campaign has relied on building a grass roots base of support which is reflected in her donor rolls where she has the most supporters of any Democratic candidate! Kim is a strong viable candidate who listens to people, engages people, and has a vision for Tennessee that involves all citizens and relies on improved educational opportunities combined with partnerships to improve the economic and educational status of our state!
I have known Kim Ambrester McMillan since she was 12 years old and living in Texas. She is one of the most grounded, brilliant, engaging women I have known. If Tennessee elects her as their next governor it will not be political business as usual it will be getting the job done to enable all Tennesseeans to thrive. As a graduate of the University of Tennessee I know that the state needs this woman of vision. Don't count her out - just count the votes of the grassroots that are supporting her.
1. Kim is qualified. She had been a leader in the House and as an appointed senior advisor for one of TNfs best Governorsfs, being Bredesen. 2. Kim has lived the American dream - adopted by two school teachers she has beat the odds to become everything she wanted to be. 3. Kim has strong Knoxville ties. She went to school here; she got her undergrad and law degrees from UT. Living side by side with use has given her a clear understanding of who we are. Kim is rare in the fact that she will have this direct experience in ET, which is a real powerhouse in statewide elections. 4. Kim is good for business. In her role as the Executive Director of Community and Business Relations at Austin Peay, she has direct experience working and growing businesses and industries. She was also the recipient of the Athena Award, the highest honor for women in business. She is the chairman of Cumberland Bank & Trust, a community bank. In a poll released on October 9th, 2009 by the Nashville Business Journal, Democratic candidate for Governor Kim McMillan was the only Democrat to win support among the publicationfs readers. Letfs not forget that Kim worked to form a partnership between the state of Tennessee, Austin Peay State University, and Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation to attract their $1.2 billion polysilicon manufacturing center with 500-800 high-paying, sustainable jobs for Tennessee. This win is starting to pay dividends for TN as other companies are now interested in us. ET is a national leader in energy technology. Kim will continue Bredesenfs scientific partnerships that leads to new business and jobs. 5. Kim is a leader. She is the former House Majority Leader - the first women to hold this title in TN. Elect Women Magazine has said that she is a top national viable female candidate for governor. She has received numerous awards for excellence for various local and statewide organizations. Those donft come without hard work and leadership. Kim is a founding board member of Leadership Middle Tennessee. 6. Kim is smart. She graduated with honors from UT! I thought Bredesen was smart, but if he asked her to advise him there has got to get something special there. Think about that. 7. Kim understand health care. Kim serves on the board of the Monroe Carell, Jr. Childrenfs Hospital. She has been recognized by the TN Hospital Association for our excellent work and leadership. 8. Kim has a family. Kim has been married for 20 years and has two kids. She understands family life, the demands, the needs, the dreams. 9. Kim is a woman. This demographic will turn out to vote for the strong woman that Kim is. As for the men votes, she is a g10 as she really has it all - shefs pretty, smart, a great mother, and would make a great spokeswoman for Tennessee as we tackle the hard problems facing the state and the country. 10. Kim can (and will) win! The GOP will be hard on each other during their primary. Who ever comes out of it, will need to do some healing. Kim has the broad support across the State and she is not the son of a former Governor like McWherter, and she is not Kim gMcMillionsh like her GOP opponents, therefore she has the fight to take it to the GOP candidates face-to-face to win.
Don't be so ridiculous as to count out Kim McMillan! She is far and away the most qualified, experienced, and capable candidate!
Hey, Nashville Scene: Don't "write off" KIM McMILLAN. She is as qualified as any in the race of either party because of her experience both in government and out. Her vision for education and employment in the state can lead us to become a model for other states. Taking nothing away from the other candidates, she has a heart for the people of the state which won't allow her to forget who who is working for when she is in office. She is hard working and will make a great chief executive for Tennesseans. Sincerely, Jesse
Ned Ray McWherter was a huge supporter of Senator Al Gore, helping to make him Vice President in the Clinton administration. If you like the way Ned replaced the Medicaid program with the TennCare system in Tennessee, and Al's global warming tax plans, vote for his son Michael Ray McWherter.
Ned Ray McWherter was a huge supporter of Senator Al Gore, helping to make him Vice President in the Clinton administration. If you like the way Ned replaced the Medicaid program with the TennCare system in Tennessee, and Al's global warming tax plans, vote for his son Michael Ray McWherter.
“Laws pertaining to how the ‘State of Tennessee Registry of Election Finance’ regulate the practices of candidates during a political campaign are in dire need of revision. Total control by Democrats and Republicans at the exclusion of ‘we the people’ Independents has placed limitations throughout the process. Free media publicity for two-party candidates while ignoring Independent candidates is unethical. The ‘value of free publicity’ should be determined, and then reported as a contribution. Anything that benefits the campaign of candidates should be included as a financial disclosure. Otherwise, media owners and their ‘special interest’ advertisers – who support particular candidates – can manipulate public opinion in favor of the ‘politician’ who promises to serve the whims of campaign contributors if elected. While Democrats and Republicans are getting free publicity, Independents are being insulted, mocked, or simply ignored by the media.” -- White Horse Independent Gubernatorial Candidate James Reesor
James Reesor 2010 Campaign Press Releases: Permission to copy and share this press release and all web site information is hereby granted. No need for further requests.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10 August 2010
Tennessee White Horse Independent
Gubernatorial Candidate James Reesor
Believes Satan Controls Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – "Politics in Tennessee is too corrupt to fix; Convincing Satan to repent of sin would be easier. Voting machines in Tennessee are rigged; Winners are hand-picked in smoke-filled rooms by greedy bankers and arrogant business owners with connections to computer hackers. Political degenerates rise to the top in the traditional two-party political system; Idealistic political reformers are ostracized, slandered, and persecuted. Wicked Democrats and Republicans despise right-wing Christian conservatives and Independents; Evil liberals lust after politicians who write stupid laws against the sanctity of life and trust in God. Tolerance for rebellious souls who break universal laws by serving false gods is politically correct; Christians who talk to lost souls about Jesus are accused of committing a hate crime. Hard-working taxpayers are treated like low-wage slaves in Tennessee; Criminals in prison are treated like kings and queens. Media propaganda creates clones that act like robots; Anyone with an original thought is believed to be from outer space. I have no confidence in the Tennessee political system; Too many blind, deaf, and dumb elitist bigots are journalists. Voting is a waste of time; Trying to stay informed about political campaigns is proof of insanity. Freedom to do evil is a popular idea in 2010; Freedom to serve Lord Jesus Christ in public places is no longer a civil right that is respected by American liberals, atheists or Muslims. Credit card debt makes slaves out of poor people; Unemployment leads to bankruptcy for those who can afford a lawyer. Incompetent liars run the media; Gullible people believe bad news is good news. Rich people control corrupt politicians; Corrupt politicians control governments. Move to Tennessee to get away from high taxes; Move to Mexico to get away from illegal aliens. Smart people know they are stupid; Idiots think they are smart. People with common sense understand the difference between right and wrong; People with common sense would rather stay home than vote for clowns who make promises they never keep. Satan and his friends changed the American dream into a nightmare; A few of us Christians woke up screaming and are mad as hell," James Reesor said
JAMES REESOR for GOVERNOR 20TEN TENNESSEE
Campaign Web Address: http://www.jamesreesor.com
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Satan Controls Tennessee
http://www.jamesreesor.com/Reesor2010Campa…
