Buying a Primary Near You?
While Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey is surging, it appears that Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam may have to buy his way out of a political jam:
Apparently, the latter was the standard format at the West Knox Republican event, and both the Lieutenant Governor and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam were present. Haslam, according to our source, got the standard reception of all the candidates who spoke, and there were many local candidates present who got up and gave their short stump speech. Ron Ramsey was applauded-rather loudly.
The informant who was present said of Mayor Haslam's expression: "Haslam looked pissed."
If this story is even remotely true (and we would not expect supporters of Bill Haslam to admit it is if it were) it might have done Haslam a bit more of a favor to show up at the Tennessee Conservative Union's Reagan Day straw poll last month. Sure, he probably wouldn't have won the tally, but he would have done even better than he managed to do and would have shown that a straw poll among conservatives in his own hometown is more important to him than fundraising with a Democrat. One thing that the internal party reaction to Haslam seems to show is that Bill Haslam simply has not won over the grassroots of the Republican Party in Tennessee, even in East Tennessee where his strength is supposed to lay and his "base" (what base exists) is said to be the most organized.
Labels: Elections, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 2:17 PM
1 Comments:
Bill stands on a very solid base in East Tennessee. I did a casual survey of about 20 Downtown Knoxville workers and got 100% praise of the Mayor. The only time I have seen him angry (to use a euphemism for your term) is when bloviating local partisans obstruct good legislation.
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