Don’t forget Haslam and Sundquist! Sundquist was to the left of Bredsen.
It’s also worth noting that Jimmy Duncan was one of the few Republicans to vote against the Iraq War in 2003.
We’re kind of like South Carolina, our population is staunchly conservative and open liberals are quickly run out of town, but for some reason RINOs flourish in primaries.
Part of the problem could be the conundrum created by rigid stereotyping (your own tag is an example of this).
People, in spite of themselves, don’t want Grinchlike rock-ribs. And so they strike a muddy compromise.