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You are here: Home / Archives for TN-Sen

Hagerty Wins GOP Senate Nod In Tennessee

August 6, 2020 at 9:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty (R) won the Republican Senate primary in Tennessee, the AP reports.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Who’s More ‘Conservative’ In Tennessee?

August 6, 2020 at 9:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jessica Taylor has a good look at the today’s primary to replace retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), where Trump-endorsed Bill Hagerty (R) faces Manny Sethi (R) in what has become an “intense mudslinging” contest.

“Now, Tennessee Republican insiders believe either candidate has the potential to win, with Sethi possessing the late momentum but the fundamentals of the contest still perhaps favoring Hagerty. Recent elections have shown that Trump’s endorsement is as close to a silver bullet as you can get in a GOP primary, but Sethi has honed in on what might be the new Achilles heel for more establishment Republican candidates — previous support of Mitt Romney. This race presents a test of whether new alliances can trump old ones within the Republican Party.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Tennessee Has the Nastiest GOP Primary In Country

July 29, 2020 at 7:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The race was never supposed to be competitive: The Trump-backed candidate, Bill Hagerty — who served as the president’s ambassador to Japan — was on a glide path. … But as the contest has tightened in the run-up to the Aug. 6 election, Hagerty’s main opponent, Manny Sethi, has found traction by claiming to be the true, unapologetic Trumpian conservative in the race — while blasting Hagerty as a squishy, Mitt Romney-loving phony.”

“Hagerty largely ignored Sethi most of the race — seemingly confident of his lead which his internal polls had at 17 points — until earlier this month, when he abruptly went on the offensive… The battle is a window into the changing nature of the Republican Party, in which economic populism is in vogue, and race and identity have been thrust to the fore.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

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Haslam Won’t Run for Senate In Tennessee

July 11, 2019 at 10:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) announced that he will sit out the race for U.S. Senate, teeing up a competitive Republican primary, Roll Call reports.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Mackler Announces Senate Bid In Tennessee

January 9, 2019 at 11:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“James Mackler, who ditched a Democratic run for U.S. Senate in Tennessee last year, says he’s now running in 2020, becoming the first candidate in either major party to declare a candidacy for the seat to be vacated by the retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander,” the Tennessean reports.

“Mackler, a 46-year-old Nashville attorney and Iraq War veteran, announced his campaign in an online video Tuesday, looking to clear a Democratic lane still neraly two years out from the election.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Lamar Alexander Will Retire

December 17, 2018 at 12:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who has served in the U.S. Senate since first being elected in 2002, said that he will not seek a fourth term in the upper chamber, the Tennessean reports.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Lamar Alexander, TN-Sen

Dead Heat for Senate In Tennessee

November 2, 2018 at 5:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new East Tennessee State University poll finds Marsha Blackburn (R) and Phil Bredesen (D) deadlocked in the race for U.S. Senate, 44% to 44%.

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Who Would You Rather Be Right Now: Bredesen or Beto?

October 31, 2018 at 11:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “Who would you rather be right now — Phil Bredesen in Tennessee or Beto O’Rourke in Texas? Both are trailing in red states by 5 points in the latest polls, though that’s within the margin of error.”

“In Bredesen’s favor are his postitive fav/unfav numbers (while Beto is upside down in the polls we’ve seen). In Beto’s favor is his cult-like status, plus all the money he has.”

“So what plays better for a Democrat in a Republican state — bright colors, or moderation?”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen, TX-Sen

Blackburn Takes the Lead In Tennessee

October 30, 2018 at 5:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/Marist poll in Tennessee finds Marsha Blackburn (R) leading Phil Bredesen (D) in the U.S. Senate race by five points, 51% to 46% among likely voters, with just 3% still undecided.

Bredesen led by two points last month.

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Is Tennessee the Pivotal Senate Race?

October 23, 2018 at 7:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Byler: “Readers often ask me ‘What’s one Senate race I need to watch to know which party is going to end up with control of the chamber?’ There are two honest, different, and yet compatible answers to this question.”

“The first: There’s no one race that will decide control of the Senate because it’s all a little bit like whac-a-mole. The map features multiple competitive races, and either party could make up for a loss in a ‘pivotal’ race with a win in another race.”

“The second: If you must pick just one race to watch, you should probably pick Tennessee.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Bredesen Has Edge In Tennessee

October 18, 2018 at 8:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Vanderbilt University poll finds Phil Bredesen (D) with a slight edge over Marsha Blackburn (R) in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race, 44% to 43%.

Said pollster John Geer: “The bottom line is that Tennessee’s Senate race will be determined by which candidate is better able to turn out their base, as well as any national waves that occur — blue or otherwise.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Blackburn Holds Small Lead In Tennessee

October 17, 2018 at 7:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics Poll in Tennessee finds Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) leading Phil Bredesen (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 44%.

Other recent polls have shown Blackburn with a substantially wider lead.

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Volunteers Bail on Bredesen for Supporting Kavanaugh

October 11, 2018 at 3:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen is facing backlash from some of the staunchest supporters of his Senate campaign after coming out in support of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court,” Politico reports.

“Campaign volunteers have been calling to cancel door-knocking and phone-banking shifts for Bredesen since his statement backing Kavanaugh… At least 22 volunteers so far have reached out to express frustration with the decision.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Blackburn Moves Ahead of Bredesen In Tennessee

October 9, 2018 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Examiner: “Blackburn cruised past Bredesen in two public opinion polls conducted at the apex of the Kavanaugh controversy. The fresh data suggests the episode has nationalized the Tennessee contest and led Republicans open to voting for the Democrat to retreat to their partisan bunkers. In one survey, Blackburn topped Bredesen by 8 percentage points; in another, she was in front by 5 points.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Taylor Swift Endorses Democrats

October 8, 2018 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In a stunning turnaround from her refusal to discuss anything related to politics, Taylor Swift revealed whom she’s voting for in the 2018 midterms,” the Washington Post reports.

“The pop megastar, who just wrapped up a 40-date stadium tour across the country, posted a long Instagram caption Sunday night. In it, Swift, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, gave a detailed explanation about why she’s voting for Democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House.”

Swift also slammed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): “Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign, Celebrities Tagged With: Taylor Swift, TN-Sen

Top Democratic Super PAC Backs Away from Bredesen

October 5, 2018 at 1:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“One of the top Democratic aligned super PACs says it will no longer consider helping Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee’s Senate race after Bredesen announced his support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court,” the Daily Beast reports.

“The group, Priorities USA Action, also said it would steer clear of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s reelection fight in West Virginia should he vote to confirm Kavanaugh on final passage this Saturday. On Friday, Manchin was the sole Democrat to vote to proceed with the nomination.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen, WV-Sen

Bredesen Says He Won’t Back Schumer for Majority Leader

September 26, 2018 at 8:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen said at a debate Tuesday that if he is elected to the Senate, he would not back Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to continue as Democrats’ leader. Bredesen made the announcement during the opening statements of his first debate with the Republican nominee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Bredesen said Washington had become ‘hyperpartisan’ and blamed current leadership in both parties.”

“The pledge is functionally useless — unlike in the House, where the speaker is chosen by a majority of the chamber in a floor vote, Senate party leaders are chosen by a majority in a private caucus vote. While there might be enough Democratic House candidates to deny Pelosi the 218 votes she needs to become speaker again, there is virtually no chance of Schumer being dethroned by the Democratic Caucus after the election.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: TN-Sen

Democrats Lead for Senate In Arizona and Tennessee

September 17, 2018 at 3:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new CNN poll in Arizona finds Kyrsten Sinema (D) tops Martha McSally (R) by 7 points in the U.S. senate race, 50% to 43% among likely voters.

In Tennessee, Phil Bredesen (D) holds a 5-point edge over Marsha Blackburn (R), 50% to 45% among likely voters there.

Roughly 1 in 6 voters in each state say there’s a chance they’ll change their mind before Election Day.

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: AZ-Sen, TN-Sen

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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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