Free Republic

NASHVILLE — The state Registry of Election Finance has decided that state Sen. Jerry Cooper should answer questions about allegations he transferred nearly $100,000 in campaign funds to a personal account. The registry wants Cooper to appear at its next meeting in November to address the complaint filed by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. Cooper was acquitted in June on charges of bank fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy. The alleged transfer was revealed by testimony from the Internal Revenue Service on Cooper’s bank records and tax returns. A spokesman for Senate Democrats declined to comment on the registry’s decision...

Absent senators give GOP an edge - - Cooper, Ford, Wilder out for medical reasons

NASHVILLE - State Senate Republicans have decided against disrupting most Democrats' office assignments for the 2007 legislative session, but they are taking a disproportionate number of committee seats. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey acknowledges that to assure Republican control of all Senate committees, most Republicans will serve on three committees. Most Democrats will serve on only two. "That's just the way the math is," said Ramsey last week. The Senate has nine major committees. Most have nine members, though the Finance Committee and Government Operations Committee have 11 each. Republicans have a 17-16 majority in the Senate. As Senate speaker, Ramsey...

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- Ed Bryant called on supporters in the pro-life, home-school and other conservative groups to help turn out a large vote for him in Thursday's Republican primary, warning that GOP control of Congress is at stake. "Go out and go the extra mile for this campaign and make sure we finish in first place. We're going to win. Carry the message out there that we literally could lose control of the United States Senate if we don't win in Tennessee. "And we won't win in Tennessee -- we'll lose this race to Congressman Ford, the Democrat -- if...

This is a verbatim transcript of Sen. Ford's remarks to reporters as she was leaving the Senate committee examining her election Thursday. "Nothing like this has ever happened before, that's why God is using me _ little old me _ to make needed laws that needed to be changed. It's not just affecting our state, it's going to affect our whole country with laws needing to have been change. They had to come upon a way to do it. What can they do but something like that? I think they're doing the very best that they can, my colleagues, I...