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Tennessee Attorney General Slatery won’t seek a second term
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery will not seek a second term when his current one ends. The news, first reported by the Tennessee Journal, broke Tuesday after Slatery informed the Tennessee Supreme Court in a letter. Slatery’s eight-year term has been marked by his office’s involvement in political issues, notably the joining of an amicus brief […]
Editor’s column: Normalize abortion conversations
Like many women across the U.S., I’ve been reeling from the news that broke last week about the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft decision that would reverse Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1971 ruling that legalized abortion at the federal level. As soon as I tweeted, “Looks like the Supreme Court has given me my next […]
Editor’s column: After 100 years, a look at a father’s life
My dad would have been 100 on Sunday. He died 25 years ago, shortly after his 75th birthday, and I find it hard to wrap my mind around both facts, but he lives in my mind as he did when I last saw him, freshly shaved and looking younger than he had a right to […]
Commentary: Christian charity escapes Tennessee lawmakers on homeless issues
On Saturday night, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs posted a tweet: “Allowing homeless people to camp on public property does not help them—it enables them and prevents them from seeking the aid and resources they need to get back on their feet.” Jacobs doubtless tweeted in response to a bill the Tennessee legislature passed last […]
Tennessee Republican Party bounces three candidates from 5th Congressional ballot
The Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee voted Tuesday to remove three candidates for the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District, including former President Donald Trump’s endorsee, Morgan Ortagus. Scott Golden, TNGOP chair, confirmed that Ortagus, Robby Starbuck and Baxter Lee failed in their appeals to be restored to the ballot after the executive committee […]
Editor’s column: Gilmore brouhaha was reminder of simpler political times
Thursday afternoon, the news broke that Sen. Brenda Gilmore will not be running for reelection. To say the news “broke” might be too strong; rather, the news seeped out in an uneven fashion. First, Keeda Haynes, a 2020 Democratic candidate for Congress in the 5th District, tweeted at 4:36 p.m. Thursday that she’d be going […]
Editor’s column: Primary colors
Gallup, the nonpartisan analytics organization that became famous for public opinion polls, has a fascinating monthly tracker of how Americans identify themselves politically dating to 2004. In the early and mid- aughts, the percentage of Americans who identified as independent and not affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties hovered in the mid-30s. Starting […]
Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martin draws challenge to bona fides
A former member of the Shelby County Democratic Party Executive Committee is challenging the partisan bona fides of Dr. Jason Martin, candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. Gabby Salinas, chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party, said Frank Johnson submitted a challenge to the county party based on Martin’s vote in the 2016 Republican […]
Editor’s column: Will Casada get another bite at the electoral apple?
Caveat emptor is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘‘let the buyer beware’’ and legally means a buyer or purchaser is alone responsible for performing due diligence before closing a deal. The same principle can apply to electoral politics. Take, for instance, former Speaker of the Tennessee House and current state Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin. […]
Editor’s column: Thank God for Sen. Marsha Blackburn
For too long, Tennessee has gotten short shrift on the national political scene. We’ve become flyover country. National Democrats have given up on us and national Republicans take us for granted. For outlets like CNN, MSNBC and the Washington Post, U.S. senators, including Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and more recently, […]
Odessa Kelly announces round of Davidson County endorsements
Odessa Kelly, Democratic candidate for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district, rolled out a round of endorsements Monday morning that includes four countywide elected officials from Nashville. “I am so proud of Odessa for never backing down from a fight when our people need results the most,” said Zulfat Suara, Metro Nashville council member-at-large in her endorsement […]
Editor’s Column: Government agencies prove that just because they can, they shouldn’t
Until two weeks ago, I had heard neither of Mason, Tenn., nor of Joshua Lipscomb but thanks to a couple of government agencies, I am now very familiar with them and I bet there are many other Tennesseans who have learned about them. Mason is the small West Tennessee town located just a few miles […]