Campfield elected as Gingrich delegate despite leaving campaign

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 3/7/12 | Tom Humphrey

[SmithL]

NASHVILLE — State Sen. Stacey Campfield, who resigned as co-chairman of Newt Gingrich's Tennessee campaign last week, was nonetheless elected a Gingrich delegate in voting Tuesday.

On the other hand, state Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, who remained alone as head of the Gingrich Tennessee campaign after Campfield's resignation, failed to win a delegate seat in the voting based on unofficial returns.

Twenty-eight "at large" delegates are allocated on the basis of Tuesday's vote statewide, and Adam Nickas, executive director of the state Republican Party, said the unofficial results will translate into 12 statewide delegates for Rick Santorum, nine for Mitt Romney and seven for Gingrich.

Campfield and Shipley were among 10 persons on the ballot as committed statewide delegates for Gingrich in Tuesday's voting, having qualified earlier this year. Under tentative state GOP plans, just the top four will get elected Gingrich delegate spots, with the other three to be appointed by the Republican State Executive Committee in consultation with the Gingrich campaign, Nickas said.

Campfield finished second in the statewide delegate voting with 121,508 votes, just behind Sullivan County Commissioner John Gardner, also a Gingrich delegate. Shipley finished eighth with 111,909, meaning he does not win a seat.

[Yashcheritsiy]

Somebody be sure to tell Campfield that he’s bound to vote for Gingrich in at least the first round of balloting (and maybe the second also, I can’t remember).