Posted on 09/29/2006 1:18:11 PM PDT by SmithL
MEMPHIS — The Republican candidate has withdrawn from the race to fill the state Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Kathryn Bowers.
The withdrawal by Michael Floyd leaves Democrat Reginald Tate the only candidate on the Nov. 7 ballot in the heavily Democratic district.
Bowers, a Memphis Democrat who is awaiting trial on federal bribery charges, resigned from the Senate on Sept. 1 citing "serious health problems" and also ended a bid for re-election.
Since she had won the Democratic primary in August, the party's executive committee for Shelby County was called upon to pick a replacement for the District 33 election.
The committee picked Tate, a 52-year-old architect, from a field of eight candidates.
Floyd, 50, said he withdrew from the race because of poor health. Floyd, a lawyer, said in his withdrawal letter that he could not "fulfill the rigors of a campaign nor the stress of political office."
Bill Giannini, GOP chairman for Shelby County, complained that Floyd's removal from the ballot was delayed more than a week because of an administrative problem with paperwork.
Republicans were left with too little time to pick a new candidate, Giannini said.
"In essence," he said, "they have allowed one party to pick a state senator."
Bowers is one of five current or former state lawmakers charged with corruption in the federal investigation code named Tennessee Waltz. She is scheduled for trial in April.
We're not even TRYING anymore?
I swear, I'm starting to think that the whole "GOP wants to lose in 2006 to improve chances in 2008" thing is true.
Looks like a number of people are being knocked out of the races.
Hillary's 900 FBI files?
A State Senator in a heavily democrat district according to the article. No loss there.
It's a seat the democrat was going to win anyway. It's a state senate seat, not a federal seat.
Lots of state races go unopposed because who wants to waste their time. The election is decided in a primary.
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