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John McCain now leads Barack Obama in the Volunteer State by twenty-four percentage points in Tennessee. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Volunteer State shows McCain with a 56% to 32% margin. That’s essentially where the race stood in April although Obama managed to close the gap to fifteen points in June, shortly after wrapping up the Democratic nomination. When “leaners” are included, McCain now leads Obama 60% to 35%. Leaners are survey participants who initially indicate no preference for either major candidate but indicate that they are leaning towards either McCain or Obama. Fifty-seven percent (57%) say...

Cheryl Bynum admires John McCain so much that she did something for him she wouldn't do for just any politician. She became a Republican. "He's like your father or brother or someone you feel like you can trust," said Bynum, who lives in Knoxville. "He's the guy you call when you're in trouble." Bynum considers herself a political moderate and was registered as an Independent before McCain decided to run for president. But once he jumped into the race, Bynum changed her voter registration to Republican, did volunteer work for his campaign and got herself elected as a delegate to...

Gov. Phil Bredesen said he doesn't believe the information was part of a bigger political plot. "I think it's just somebody who has some time on their hands, which is a problem in its self, who is doing this kind of thing to show that he had access or to answer a question about somebody," said Bredesen. However, Republican Party Chair Robin Smith is skeptical of the governor's response. "The facts that are involved could impact very drastically the outcome of this November's election, so we're not talking about an internal affairs matter of impropriety. We're talking about strong allegations...

The predictable reaction’s ensuing as we speak, in fact, as Politico presses Tennessee GOP spokesman Bill Hobbs for an explanation. Hobbs should have consulted his rulebook. Verdict: Racist. Sentence: A prominent mention in Peter Beinart’s next column.

Gores to host Obama fundraiser Nashville | July 24, 2008 12:01:13 AM IST Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is preparing to host a Nashville fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, say officials. A spokeswoman for Gore, has confirmed that Al and Tipper Gore have agreed to the event although a date and location have not been set, nor even whether Obama himself would attend, The Tennessean, a Nashville newspaper, reported Wednesday. Wade Munday, a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party, said we would certainly welcome the senator with open arms should he arrive in Nashville before the October...

Could Felons' Votes Give Tennessee to Obama?

Barack Obama's 'don't smear me' campaign may have to go into overdrive. Even fellow Democrat Party members have their doubts about his candidacy. A Tennessee Democrat is suspicious that Obama may have connections to the terrorists. Not good news for Barry.

The Barack Obama campaign may have to update its new Web site set up to combat vicious rumors thanks to a fellow Democrat. Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee member Fred Hobbs tells The City newspaper in Nashville, "I don't exactly approve of a lot of the things he stands for — and I'm not sure we know enough about him. He's got some bad connections, and he may be terrorist connected for all I can tell. It sounds kind of like he may be." Hobbs was giving an interview to the paper about fellow Tennessee Congressman and Democratic superdelegate Lincoln...

Cannot be posted due to copyright issues: http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880613030

Superdelegate Davis slow to endorse Obama By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com Updated: Friday, June 13, 2008 2:33 am The rise of Sen. Barack Obama, to become the Democrats’ presidential nominee has put most of his party’s faithful on his bandwagon — but not Lincoln Davis, a rural Tennessee Congressman with gubernatorial ambitions. Davis (D-Pall Mall) is not yet endorsing the presumptive nominee in Obama, saying he’ll wait until the late August Democratic Party national convention. In Davis’ sprawling 4th Congressional District — which ranges from as far west as Hickman County to as far east as the upper Cumberland Plateau —...

Proving just how important Barack Obama’s new rumor-busting Web site could be, a Tennessee Democratic Party member told a local newspaper that the presumptive nominee of his party “may be terrorist connected.”

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will be in Bristol, Va., for a “town hall” gathering Thursday, according to his campaign Web site. The event at Virginia High School will be free and open to the public, but tickets will be required for attendance. Doors are scheduled to open at 9:45 a.m., and the program is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. For security reasons, visitors should not bring bags. No signs or banners will be permitted. Tickets for the event may be picked up at the following locations: •Virginia High School Gym 1200 Long Crescent Dr. Bristol, VA 24201 Tuesday...

Barbara A. McKinzie, Alpha Kappa Alpha's international president, expressed indignation and outrage over the Tennessee Republican Party running a smear campaign against Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. McKinzie denounced the transparent mindset that triggered the decision by the Tennessee GOP to design such an ad. She said it is the basis of an ugly underpinning that is being echoed in established racist Internet chat rooms, within the right-leaning blogosphere and among some conservative pundits. To make Michelle Obama a target of a potentially hate-inspired offensive is something that she -- and the 200,000 primarily African-American female...

NASHVILLE (AP) -- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain will speak at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in June. Spokesman Jeff Sadosky said McCain will be joined at the townhall style meeting on June 2 by former Tennessee Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist. The event is free and open to the public. McCain campaigned in the state earlier this year. He was beat by former Republican nominee Mike Huckabee on Super Tuesday voting in Tennessee in February.

Chivalry is still charming, as Barack Obama proved when he recently warned Tennessee Republicans to leave his wife alone. He was commenting on a GOP Web ad that highlights Michelle Obama's comment, made at a rally in February, that she was proud of America for the first time in her adult life. When asked about the ad Monday during an interview on "Good Morning America," Obama said Republicans were welcome to pick on him and his track record, but not his wife. "If they think that they're going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should...

On Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama blasted the Tennessee Republican Party for the swipe it took at his wife. A new ad contrasts Obama's wife, Michelle Obama's admission earler this year that "for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country" with statements from people declaring their pride for the United States...

Democrat Barack Obama has a message for Tennessee's Republican Party: "Lay off my wife." Obama, his party's presidential front-runner, and his wife, Michelle, were asked in an interview aired Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" about an online video last week by the state's GOP taking her to task for a comment some considered unpatriotic. "The GOP, should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record," Obama said. "If they think that they're going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find...

Democrat Barack Obama has a message for Tennessee's Republican Party: "Lay off my wife." ADVERTISEMENT Obama, his party's presidential front-runner, and his wife, Michelle, were asked in an interview aired Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" about an online video last week by the state's GOP taking her to task for a comment some considered unpatriotic. "The GOP, should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record," Obama said. "If they think that they're going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I...

Talk about internecine upset. The office of Senator Bob Corker, Republican from Tennessee, has weighed in today, siding with Senator Barack Obama’s objections to the state’s G.O.P. Web campaign against Michelle Obama. To recap, the officialdom of the Tennessee G.O.P. posted a Web spot that mines remarks Mrs. Obama made in February that “first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country.” The ad repeats footage of her speaking those words, interspersed with comments from Tennesseans, talking about how they’ve always been proud to be an American. Her comments have been reverberating for nearly three months...

Associated Press NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Republican Party "welcomed" Michelle Obama's visit for a fundraiser Thursday with an online video that takes the Democratic presidential front-runner's wife to task for a comment some considered unpatriotic. Obama was campaigning in Wisconsin last February for her husband, Barack Obama, when she said: "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country." The four-minute video posted on YouTube is built around the remark, replaying it six times and interspersing it with commentary by Tennesseans, identified mostly by their first names, on why they are proud of America....

(CNN) -- In a preview of the political onslaught Michelle Obama may face in the fall, the Tennessee Republican Party unveiled a Web video Thursday highlighting her comment that she was proud of America "for the first time in my adult life." The four-minute video coincides with a visit to the state by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's wife for a Democratic Party event Thursday evening. It features several Tennesseans saying why they are proud of American while repeatedly cutting to Michelle Obama's comments. "The Tennessee Republican Party has always been proud of America. To further honor the occasion...

The crowd booed Friday morning as Senator John McCain was introduced and stood just below the wreath where an assassin's bullet killed Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior 40 years ago.

NASHVILLE — From Fox News to C-SPAN, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has been blitzing national media this week in an effort to sell his idea of a “primary” of Democratic superdelegates to break a potential logjam in the party’s presidential nomination battle. “It’s been interesting, and you don’t know what will happen,” Gov. Bredesen told Tennessee reporters Thursday. The governor was in Washington on Monday and part of Tuesday. He has been interviewed by at least 27 national outlets this week. The interest started with a March 19 op-ed piece in The New York Times in which he pitched his...

NASHVILLE - Former Lt. Gov. John Wilder announced minutes ago that he will not seek re-election to the state Senate seat he has held for 44 years. "I wanted to do what God wanted me to do, and I didn't know exactly what that was," Wilder said in a rambling speech on the Senate floor shortly before noon today. After long deliberations, he said, "I decided not to run for re-election" for the Somerville seat. Wilder compared service in the Senate to being a soldier. He closed his speech with this cryptic remark: "If I don't change my mind, that's...

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Republican Chairman Robin Smith says she stands by the state party's use of "Barack Hussein Obama" in party criticism of the Democratic presidential candidate - even though John McCain says it's inappropriate. McCain, holding a big lead in the Republican presidential race, Tuesday apologized for criticism of Obama by a radio talk show host who introduced McCain at a rally. Asked if it was proper to refer to Obama by using his middle name, the Associated Press reports that McCain replied: "No, it is not. Any comment that is disparaging of either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama...

Former Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett officially opened his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate Tuesday night with a fist-pounding speech in which he rhetorically told the incumbent, Republican Lamar Alexander, "We can do better, we should do better." The crowd of several hundred packed into a room at Calhoun's on the River responded frequently with loud applause and cheering. Standing behind him as he kicked off his campaign were family members; Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols; Knox County Commission Chairman Thomas "Tank" Strickland; former officeholders and seekers; and friends. Padgett said three points will...

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Republican Party today joins a growing chorus of Americans concerned about the future of the nation of Israel, the only stable democracy in the Middle East, if Sen. Barack Obama is elected president of the United States. “It’s time to set the record straight about Barack Obama and where he really stands on vital issues such as national security and the security of Israel,” said Robin Smith, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “Voters need to know about two items that surfaced today which strongly suggest that an Obama presidency will view Israel as a...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan formally denounced on Thursday the Tennessee Republican Party's use of Barack Obama's full name in a recent news release questioning the Illinois senator's commitment to Israel. "The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics," Duncan said in a statement. "We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation." The statement in question, which was released Monday, said the state party is joining a "growing chorus of Americans concerned about the future of the nation of Israel ... if Sen. Barack Hussein Obama is elected president of...

Republican primary frontrunner Sen. John McCain leads his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Barak Obama, by double digits in a hypothetical match-up asking which of the two candidates Tennesseans would like to see occupy the Oval Office next year. Half (50%) of Tennessee adults say they would vote for McCain over Obama in a presidential contest between the two. Just over a third (36%) would choose Obama over McCain, 9% would vote for neither, and the rest aren't sure. McCain's lead persists among "likely voters," defined as Tennesseans who claim to be registered to vote, say they voted in Tennessee's fall 2006...

<p>For the second time in as many days, Sen. John McCain was forced to rebuke members of his own party for over-the-top attacks on Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama.</p>

Frist Will Not Seek Presidency In 2008 CBS News Interactive: The 109th Congress CBS News: 2008 Republican Hopefuls (AP) WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will not run for president in 2008, Republican officials said Wednesday, as the field of White House contenders continued to shrink more than a year before the first convention delegates are chosen. Frist's formal announcement was expected later in the day. His decision caps a 12-year stint in electoral politics in which he rose from an underdog in his 1994 Senate campaign to the position of majority leader a mere eight years later. The decision...

NASHVILLE — The national Democratic Party’s nearly 800 “superdelegates” could decide who wins the tight presidential nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but some, including Tennessee superdelegate Gov. Phil Bredesen, won’t name the candidate they support. “I have not either endorsed anybody or pledged my superdelegate vote to anybody, and frankly don’t expect to” until much later, Gov. Bredesen, one of state Democrats’ 17 officially unpledged superdelegates, said Tuesday. “I do think the superdelegates, it’s shaping up like they’re going to have a real role to play in the convention.” “Superdelegates” are the 796 unpledged Democratic Party delegates,...

Fox News projects John McCain the winner in Arizona and Mike Huckabee the winner in Tennessee.

NEP exit polls of TN GOPers posted by MSNBC show Mike Huckabee leading John McCain 33-29%. Exit polls also show: -- Among evangelical voters, who made up 73% of the electorate, Huckabee led McCain 40-27%, while among non-evangelicals, McCain led 36-30% over Mitt Romney. -- Of the 74% who consider themselves Republicans, Huckabee led McCain 36-31%, while Romney fell to third place. Among indies, McCain led Huckabee by just 27-26%. -- Among the 32% of voters who made their decision today, Huckabee beat McCain 34-31%.

Fox News: Clinton Wins in OK and TN

Tennessee was Fred Thompson's turf until the Senator-turned actor abandoned his 2008 presidential hopes on January 22 with his name still on the ballot and early voting already underway. His departure has left the state's Republican primary race tightly split between John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, while Hillary Clinton, who has long enjoyed the loyalty of state Democrats, is expected to easily carry the Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, thanks in part to party faithful who remember her husband carrying the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections with favorite son Al Gore as his running mate.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Republican John McCain is trying to ease long-standing distrust among the party's powerful conservatives, not only for the presidential primary against Mitt Romney but for the likely general election race against a Democrat. "I believe that the majority of Republican Party conservatives are convinced that I'm best equipped to lead this country, unify our party and take on the challenge of radical Islamic extremism," McCain told reporters Saturday. As Super Tuesday looms — and the possibility that McCain could all but wrap up the nomination — the chattering conservative class is in an uproar. Talk show host...

The Republican Presidential Primary in Tennessee is very competitive. A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found John McCain narrowly on top with 32% support followed closely by Mitt Romney at 29% and Mike Huckabee at 23%. Ron Paul attracts 8% of the vote while 5% still plan to vote for some other candidate. The situation remains very fluid as 10-15% of each major candidate’s supporters say there’s a good chance they could change their mind before voting. Just 63% of all voters are “certain” they will stick with their current candidate. The survey was conducted Wednesday night, six days before Election...

Candidate Total Age 18-29 Age 30-44 Age 45-64 Age 65+ White Black Other GOP Dem Ind McCain 33.0 29.8 26.8 29.4 46.4 32.0 50.0 61.6 35.7 34.3 13.3 Huckabee 25.0 40.4 17.7 28.9 20.2 24.1 50.0 5.3 24.2 10.6 33.0 Romney 18.0 14.3 11.6 22.1 20.2 18.5 .0 .0 17.3 17.1 20.3 13% Undecided. 11% Ron Paul + Other.

Link to Gannett article - http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS01/80129047

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee skipped out of campaigning in Florida a day before its primary in hopes of laying claim to Fred Thompson's backers in Tennessee. He also squeezed in some time in a Music Row recording studio, playing bass guitar with a group of country music stars and session musicians. Huckabee said those who backed the former Tennessee senator's presidential run should now turn to him because he's consistently shown he's a conservative — supporting anti-abortion measures and tax cuts while governor of Arkansas. Thompson withdrew from the presidential race last week after a disappointing...

NASHVILLE — Republican Fred Thompson is out of the presidential race, but that isn’t stopping some top Republican officials from continuing to support the former U.S. senator in the Feb. 5 GOP primary. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, is running as an at-large delegate for Mr. Thompson. Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, is running as a Thompson delegate in the 7th Congressional District. And both are hoping to get to the Republican National Convention this summer as delegates. During a press availability with reporters this week, Lt. Gov. Ramsey told reporters he has been getting calls from various GOP...

"I'm encouraging folks who believe in the principles Thompson espoused to vote for Fred and vote for his delegates," said Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris. "I still think that's the clearest choice." If Thompson garners more than about 20 percent of the Republican vote in the primary, his delegates will be sent to the GOP convention and could play an important role.

Fred Thompson is noticably absent from the campaign trail this week. After finishing third in the South Carolina primary over the weekend... Many wonder if he may drop out of the race before Tennessee and Georgia vote. But Tennessee Republican Party Chairwoman Robin Smith says his Carolina finish still gives Thompson prominence, and he shouldn't be ruled out just yet. Smith says, "I think people are starting to ask the question, 'Is he a viable candidate?' I think that's the big question, and we'll have to wait for a couple more days I'm sure." Smith says the deciding factor will...

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<p>Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has revised its list of Tennessee supporters on its statewide steering committee to remove the names of two convicted felons.</p> <p>The original list of more than 100 committee members had included former state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett and West Tennessee Democratic Party activist Gladys Crain.</p>

You can thank me (or throw eggs at me), not the miscounting in Florida, for Al Gore not being the president of the United States. You see, Tennessee did not vote for its favorite son in 2000. I was a voter in Tennessee in 2000. Had Gore been able to carry the state that knew him best, there would have been no need for recounts in Florida. Throughout the three weeks of recounting, the media descended upon Florida. No one came to Tennessee to ask us why we had not voted for our own former U.S. Senator. We did not...

MC LEAN, Va., Nov. 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced its Students For Fred National and State Leadership Teams. These student volunteers will be actively leading the Fred Thompson grassroots efforts on college campuses across the nation. Matthew Farrar will serve as the Florida Chairman as well as a National Co-Chair of Students for Fred Thompson. A senior political science major at Florida State University, Farrar has previously served on the 2006 Charlie Crist Gubernatorial campaigns and has worked on numerous state races throughout Florida. "Sen. Fred Thompson has made it clear that he is the...

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 7 /Standard Newswire/ -- Senator Fred Thompson announced his extensive Tennessee political leadership team today. Senator Howard Baker will serve as the honorary chairman of the Tennessee delegation, joined by 13 honorary co-chairs and 61 honorary state chairs, reflecting the depth of support for Senator Thompson in Tennessee. This leadership team includes two former United States Senate majority leaders, current and former members of Congress, former governors, and every Republican member of the Tennessee state legislature. "I am grateful for the wide support I'm receiving from my home state of Tennessee," said Senator Fred Thompson. "This group...

Fred Thompson's road to the nomination, his advisers say, begins with a bridge to South Carolina. Now -- a bridge has two ends, and it looks like the anchorage is Iowa. But how can Thompson possibly compete with Rudy Giuliani** on Feb. 5? New York? California? New Jersey? Thanks to a quirk in the Republican delegate allocation schema, conservative, Republican candidates have an edge. The Republican National Committee awards bonus delegates to states based on their performance in general elections. States that always vote Republican get additional delegates; states like New York that vote Democratic do not. Bonus delegates account...