TN GOP NEWS

We’re just two months away from the 2010 Midterm Elections! The state primaries are now behind us, but turnout for Republicans in the August 5th primary election has given us a glimpse into just how energized our party is about this year’s midterms and the difficulty Democrats are facing just getting their voters to the polls. For example, GOP candidates in the gubernatorial primary garnered more than 720,000 votes while the lone Democrat gubernatorial candidate received just over 280,000 votes. In addition, votes cast for our Republican nominee, Bill Haslam, surpassed Democrat nominee Mike McWherter’s vote total by more than 57,000.

The enthusiasm for our Congressional races was equally strong. In the nine Congressional districts, Republican candidates received nearly 700,000 votes overall, while Democrat candidates received less than 285,000. Enthusiasm for this election is on our side and this primary season is a clear indication that Republican voters are ready to be heard at the polls this November.

While much attention has been put on the race for governor and Republicans’ chances to take back the U.S. House of Representatives, the majority of the Tennessee Republican Party’s efforts this election cycle remain on the General Assembly. We’re working with Republican candidates for State House and State Senate to ensure we have working majorities in both chambers that will be able to implement Bill Haslam’s agenda. To see a list of nominees and find out more about candidates in your area, visit our website here. If you’re unsure which State House or Senate district you reside in, feel free to contact your local county party for that information. Contact information for county parties across the state can be found on our website here. In addition, you can also contact your local county election commission to ask questions regarding voting in your area.

While momentum continues to build for Republicans across the state, we’re not taking anything for granted. In fact, this year, we plan to fight as hard as we can to elect our candidates at every level across Tennessee. However, we can’t do it without you. No matter the strength of our candidates or the dollars that come through the door, it is impossible to win elections without the help of grassroots volunteers. Elections are won because of contact with voters and it is the hard work and dedication of selfless volunteers that give one candidate the edge over another at the polls. For that reason, the Tennessee Republican Party has been working with other Republican organizations, like the Republican National Committee, to establish field offices across the state to serve as candidate resource centers and volunteer coordination headquarters. The following are Victory offices that have already opened:

West TN Middle TN East TN 621 Old Hickory Blvd. 111 E. Main St. 5710 Kingston Pike Jackson, TN 38305 Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Knoxville, TN 37919 (731) 664-1739 (615) 893-7219 (865) 558-0400

Other office openings are forthcoming and we’ll be sure to pass along information on those offices as soon as it is available. Please feel free to contact the office closest to you if you’re interested in volunteering for Republican campaigns this year!

We are close to 3,000 followers on Twitter, and a recent report from social media company Targeted Victory, shows The Tennessee Republican Party number one amongst all state parties for adding Twitter followers! Please follow us on Twitter and as a reminder, you can also find updates from us on Facebook.

We greatly appreciate all of your help and support as we move onward to victory this November.

Sincerely,

Chris Devaney
Chairman
Tennessee Republican Party

REPUBLICAN TURNOUT IN PRIMARY FAR EXCEEDS DEMOCRAT TURNOUT: Voter turnout in Republican primaries well-exceeded turnout in Democrat primaries across the state.

Information from the Tennessee Secretary of State:

• Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced Tennessee set an early voting record this year. Read more here.
• View all primary election results here.

In the News:

• If you’re not registered to vote, the last date to do so to cast a ballot in this year’s November 2nd General Election is Monday, October 4th. Find info on how to register here.
• If you’re unable to vote in your home district this year, please check out information on casting an absentee ballot here.

AUGUST NEWS FROM THE TNGOP:

• Republican National Committee and the Tennessee GOP Announce Victory Campaign in Tennessee – Press Release (08/02/10)
• Bill Haslam Will Be Tennessee’s Next Governor – Press Release (08/05/10)
• Republicans Unite in the Eighth, Underscore Importance of Stopping Obama/Pelosi/Herron Agenda – Press Release (08/12/10)
• Flip-Flop-Flip: McWherter Now Singing Original Tune, Believes Immigration Reform is a Federal Issue – TRP Chairman’s Alert (08/24/10)
• Republicans Gather to Support Diane Black on General Election Kickoff Tour in Sixth Congressional District – Press Release (08/26/10)
• State Rep’s Campaign Lies to Voters in Order to Gain Support – Press Release 08/30/10)
• Each week the TRP is releasing a Candidate Spotlight to provide voters with detailed information about Republican candidates running for state level offices across the state. Our latest candidate spotlights can be found here.

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:

• A Rasmussen poll out earlier this month showed that Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Haslam had a 56-31 percent advantage over Democrat nominee Mike McWherter amongst likely voters. Read more here.
• The Tennessean recently reported on a poll showing that Republicans have the edge over Democrats in seven State House districts in which Democrats have said are some of their primary targets. Read the article here.
• The Knoxville News Sentinel highlighted that Republicans are likely to take back the Tennessee Congressional Delegation majority. Currently, Democrats hold five of the nine congressional seats in Tennessee, but the KNS says the GOP could pick us as many as three of those seats. Read more here.
• Stu Rothenberg released his list of the "Dangerous Dozen Open House Seats" and TN-6 tops his list of the most likely to flip to Republicans. TN-8 also makes the list. Read more here.
• A new Gallup poll shows Republicans have taken a 10-point lead over Democrats on the generic ballot – the largest lead in Gallup’s history of tracking the midterm generic ballot for Congress. Read more here.
• A Rasmussen poll out this month shows that voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key issues regularly tracked by the polling firm. Read more here.

Please take a look at your Republican U.S. House and Senate Members’ websites to find out what they’ve been doing on your behalf over the last month.

• Rep. Marsha Blackburn
• Rep. John Duncan
• Rep. Phil Roe
• Rep. Zach Wamp
• Senator Lamar Alexander
• Senator Bob Corker

TRACKING CHAIRMAN DEVANEY: During the month of August, Chairman Devaney has attended a number of events around the state. Following is a list of some events in which Chairman Devaney was involved:

08/03 – Hosted Grand Opening of Jackson, TN Victory Office
08/03 – Attended Republican National Committee Summer Meeting
08/05 – Co-hosted Primary Election Watch Party at Union Station Hotel with Steve Gill
08/05 – Participated in multiple media interviews to discuss primary elections
08/06 – Presided Over TRP State Executive Committee Meeting & General Election Kickoff Rally in Nashville
08/06 – Guest Speaker at Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Tennessee Reception
08/12 – Joined CD-8 Nominee & Candidates on District 8 Unity Tour
08/12 – Attended Event for State House Candidate Billy Spivey
08/14 – Attended CD-3 Unity Breakfast
08/25 – Guest Speaker at Williamson County Republican Women Luncheon
08/26 – Joined CD-6 Nominee & Candidates on District 6 Unity Tour
08/31 – Attended Event for State House Candidate Ryan Williams

NASHVILLE, TN – In a stunning move late last week, State Rep. Butch Borchert’s campaign sent out an email that falsely claimed a recent poll showed Rep. Borchert ahead of Republican challenger Tim Wirgau. The fact is, the firm that conducted the poll never surveyed Rep. Borchert’s district making the campaign’s claims completely false. The email sent out by the Borchert campaign also references a Tennessean article that highlights the poll as proof of Rep. Borchert being “ahead of his Republican opponent.” However, the article doesn’t actually mention District 75 at all. A copy of the email sent out by Rep. Borchert’s campaign last Friday, August 27th, follows:

Dear Friend,

We have just received great news to start our weekend off. The Tennessean newspaper has just released a GOP poll that shows Butch Borchert ahead of his Republican opponent early in the campaign. The most important thing to note is that it was a GOP issued poll that showed us ahead, and that speaks VOLUMES! We already knew this information, but now our opponent knows it too. This is great motivation to push us into our Weekend of Action and onto Election Day.

Here is the link to the Tennessean article:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100827/NEWS02/8270345/GOP+poll+finds+edge+in+7+TN+House+races

Now is the time to get to work! Reply to this email if you would like to help knock on doors or make phone calls. We already have a full staffed campaign headquarters in Paris,and we are ready to get to work.

See you on the campaign trail,

Steven Altum
TEAM BORCHERT
Campaign Manager

The Borchert campaign has flat out lied to voters about this polling,” said Tennessee Republican Party Executive Director Gregory Gleaves. “The organization that conducted the poll did not survey the 75th district and the Tennessean article referenced by the Borchert campaign doesn’t even mention District 75. It is extremely troubling the Borchert campaign would pander completely false polling information in an effort to gain support. What is clear from the Borchert campaign’s dishonest actions is that they are becoming increasingly worried about their chances of retaining this seat. Considering Rep. Borchert’s dismal voting record, they’re right to be worried.”

CANDIDATES & SUPPORTERS READY TO TAKE BACK THE SIXTH

NASHVILLE, TN – Sixth Congressional District Republican nominee Diane Black has been touring the district today accompanied by Jim Tracy, Kerry Roberts, Dave Evans, Gary Mann, and Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney. By the end of the day, the group will have made three stops in Sumner, Putnam, and Rutherford Counties discussing the importance of electing a Republican to the conservative-leaning district that has been in Democrat hands for more than a quarter of a century.

“The primary is over and Republicans and concerned Tennesseans are coming together to take our country back,” said Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney. “That’s why I’m thrilled to be traveling with Diane and the other Sixth District candidates today. This district has been trending Republican for years and voters are ready for more conservative leadership that better represents their values. Diane Black is the candidate that’s going to provide that leadership and I’m proud to give her my full support in her bid to be the next Representative of Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District.”

“I’m so grateful to have the support of the candidates joining me today,” said Republican congressional nominee Diane Black. “Voters in the Sixth are ready to fight back against failing liberal Democrat policies that are killing jobs and piling trillions in debt on the backs of our kids and grandkids. I’m ready to be a strong conservative voice for this district and to stand up to Washington Democrats who are completely out-of-touch with the needs of Tennesseans. I appreciate all of the support I’ve received throughout the district today and look forward to an extremely exciting general election in the Fall.”

Tour to Stop in Sumner, Putnam & Rutherford Counties

NASHVILLE, TN – Republican Congressional nominee Diane Black will be joined by Jim Tracy, Kerry Roberts, and Gary Mann at three stops in the Sixth Congressional District where they will discuss the importance of electing a Republican to the conservative district that has been in the hands of Democrats for more than two decades. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney will be joining the tour which will include stops in Sumner, Putnam, and Rutherford Counties. Each of the three events is open to the press and details on locations and times are below.

WHAT: Sixth Congressional District general election kickoff tour with Republican congressional nominee Diane Black, Jim Tracy, Kerry Roberts, Gary Mann and TRP Chairman Chris Devaney.

WHEN: Thursday, August 26th
Times are included with locations below

SCHEDULED STOPS:

Tracy for Congress Headquarters
115 Callendar Court
Hendersonville, TN 37075
9:30am CT

Putnam County Republican Party Headquarters
406 East Broad St.
Cookeville, TN 38501
12:30pm CT

TNGOP Victory Office
111 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
3:00pm CT

NASHVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Democratic Party has reached another low today, trying to use a Facebook information post to accuse a Republican candidate of falsifying his resume by saying he is a Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) graduate – a claim the candidate never actually made.

Posted on House District 49 Republican candidate Mike Sparks’ Facebook page under the “Info” tag reads “Education: Middle Tennessee State University ‘97″ followed by “Business”. The posting never states that Sparks is an MTSU graduate, but accurately reflects that Sparks did attend MTSU until 1997. In fact, Sparks was a student at the school from 1995 until 1997 where he was pursuing a degree in Business Management at that time.

“This one is a stretch, even for Chairman Forrester and that’s saying something,” said Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney. “With attacks like these, it’s no surprise the Tennessee Democratic Party is struggling to raise money and get their voters to the polls. Perhaps they should spend a little less time on Facebook and a little more time trying to reestablish credibility with their base.

Devaney continued, “The fact is, Chairman Forrester is resorting to any means necessary to divert attention from Democrat Kent Coleman’s voting record which shows he supports Obamacare, opposes strengthening illegal immigration laws, and doesn’t believe voters should provide proof of identification at the polls. With a record like that it’s easy to understand why Democrats are so worried about their chances in this district. While the TNDP is busy perusing Facebook, we’re giving voters the facts about Kent Coleman’s dismal voting record and showing them why Mike Sparks is the right man to represent this district.”

Flip-Flop-Flip! Another month has brought us another position on illegal immigration from Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Mike McWherter. He has changed his talking points on immigration reform yet again, returning to his original position saying immigration reform is a federal issue and that states shouldn’t be involved. His latest flip came while speaking to a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Each month, Mike McWherter seems to change his talking points on how states should (or should not) approach the issue of illegal immigration. Following shows the flip-flop-flip trip McWherter has been on over the last few months:

June 9, 2010 July 7, 2010 August 19, 2010 His response to a Republican bill passed by the General Assembly praising the state of Arizona for immigration reform legislation:

“Lawmakers want to pass legislation next year emulating Arizona’s immigration law, but not everyone thinks that’s the best course of action.

‘I really think the immigration issue is a federal issue, and what we need is a much better federal policy to protect our borders,’ said Mike McWherter. ‘It’s got to be solved on a federal level.’" (”Gov. Calls Bill Honoring Ariz. Meaningless,” WSMV, 06/09/10) His response to President Barack Obama issuing a challenge to Arizona’s new immigration reform legislation:

“‘I think the administration is wrong on this one. Arizona’s trying to get a handle on the immigration policy because of Washington’s total failure to deal with the real problem,’ said Mike McWherter. ‘Immigration has become another political football in Washington and this lawsuit only continues the game, rather than solve the problem. We need to control the border, crack down on businesses that employ illegal workers, and give businesses the tools to quickly and reliably verify a job applicant’s status.” (”Mike McWherter stands up for Ariz. immigration law,” Tennessean Blog, 06/07/10) According to an SEIU blog highlighting a McWherter speech to their local chapter:

And while he said that a McWherter Administration would contribute National Guard personnel to help out in every way possible and to make sure that businesses have the tools they need to quickly verify a job applicant’s status, the solution to illegal immigration has to come from the federal government. “We can’t have a patchwork of different laws in different states,” he said. “Washington has to secure the border and get serious about comprehensive reform". (SEIU Blog, 08/20/10)

Again, which is it Mike? Do you believe that the issue of immigration reform “is a federal issue” and must “be solved on a federal level”? Or do you believe that states should be able to try and “get a handle on the immigration policy because of Washington’s total failure to deal with the real problem”? Or is it a situation in which “We can’t have a patchwork of different laws in different states” and “Washington has to secure the border and get serious about comprehensive reform?”

Unfortunately, it seems that Mike McWherter believes the federal government – despite its failures to combat illegal immigration thus far – can be trusted to address this issue without state involvement. McWherter is demonstrating that as governor, he’ll be leaning on the liberal leadership of President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid to decide what’s best for Tennessee. That’s not the leadership Tennesseans are looking for.

Tennesseans want an effective leader who will stand up to Washington’s liberal leaders, not rely on their failed policies. Mike McWherter continues to prove he’s not that leader.

Supporters and Candidates Come Together to Back Fincher Bid for Congress

NASHVILLE, TN – Eighth Congressional District Republican nominee Stephen Fincher has been touring parts of the district today accompanied by George Flinn, Ron Kirkland and Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney. By the end of the day, the group will have made four stops in Shelby, Madison, Dickson, and Obion Counties and discussed the importance of defeating Democrat congressional nominee Roy Herron so that President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are minus another ally to promote their radical, left-wing agenda.

“It’s an honor to be traveling with this group today and it’s exciting to see such support for Republicans in these counties,” said Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney. “All of us understand what is at stake in this year’s elections which is why everyone is coming together to ensure that Stephen Fincher is sworn in as the next Congressman from the Eighth Congressional District. Roy Herron is masquerading as a conservative in order to pander to voters, but his voting record in the General Assembly says otherwise. The people of this district do not want to be represented by someone who will fall in line behind Speaker Pelosi and that’s why they’re going to reject Roy Herron in the Fall. I look forward to calling Stephen Fincher Congressman-Elect on November 3rd.”

“I am honored to have Dr. Flinn, Dr. Kirkland, and Randy Smith at my side as we bring Eighth District Republicans together behind our shared conservative ideals and our determination to defeat career politician Roy Herron,” said Republican Congressional nominee Stephen Fincher. “The tremendous energy we’ve witnessed at all of our visits today proves that Middle and West Tennesseans are committed to turning back the liberal Obama-Pelosi-Herron agenda that’s bankrupting our nation.”

NASHVILLE, TN – Republican Congressional nominee Stephen Fincher will be joined by George Flinn and Ron Kirkland at four stops in the Eighth Congressional District where they will discuss the importance of defeating Roy Herron and electing Republicans in order to stop Washington Democrats’ radical agenda. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney will be joining the tour which will include four stops in Shelby, Madison, Dickson, and Obion Counties.

WHAT: Eighth Congressional District tour with Republican congressional nominee
Stephen Fincher, George Flinn, Ron Kirkland, and TRP Chairman Chris Devaney.

WHEN: Thursday, August 12th
Times are included with locations below

SCHEDULED STOPS:

Flinn for Congress Headquarters
8370 Highway 51 N., Suite 112
Millington, TN 38053
9-10am CT

TNGOP Victory Office
621 Old Hickory Blvd.
Jackson, TN 38305
11:30am-12:30pm CT

Flinn for Congress Headquarters
102 North Main Street
Dickson, TN 37055
2:30-3:30pm CT

Obion County Republican Party Headquarters
1390 Rutledge Lane, Suite 1
Union City, TN 38261
5:30-6:30pm CT

NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney today congratulated Bill Haslam after voters named him the Republican nominee for Tennessee governor.

“Bill Haslam will be elected the next governor of Tennessee,” said Devaney. “His experience in the private sector and leadership in local government has yielded a solid record of job creation and economic growth. Bill understands the challenges facing our state and has the knowledge, experience, and resolve to tackle those challenges head on. I congratulate Bill on his nomination and am looking forward to seeing him sworn in as Tennessee’s next governor.

“I’d also like to congratulate Lt. Gov. Ramsey and Congressman Wamp on an extremely hard-fought race,” continued Devaney. “Both men are dedicated public servants who have demonstrated time and again their commitment to making Tennessee a better place for families and businesses. I commend them both for their hard work on this campaign and extend my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary leadership they will continue to provide the state of Tennessee.”