Countdown to 2006
Since yesterday was Election Day 2005 (sorry Arnold), now is the time for bloggers, pundits, and barbershop patrons to start wasting time and energy looking ahead to next November. Where I live, there will really be only one race of consequence: the race to fill Bill Frist's U.S. Senate seat.
Shortly after Frist (who is taking an ill-advised shot at the GOP presidential nomination) announced that he would not seek re-election, Democratic U.S. Representative Harold Ford, Jr. appeared to have an early advantage. Now tarnished by corruption among other members of the Memphis royal family, Ford is no longer even a lock to win the Democratic nomination. Then again, I haven't heard much lately from Ford's primary competitor, State Senator Rosalind Kurita. (Primary has two meanings in that sentence, get it?)
The Republicans will be choosing between former U.S. Representative Ed Bryant and Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. Former Congressman and failed gubernatorial candidate Van Hilleary is also running, but his prospects don't look so good right now. No offense to Van, but I think he overachieved when he won his U.S. House seat. (A quick question for Republicans: What happened to Beth Halteman-Harwell?) Bryant, the anti-Hilleary Republican, has an army of bloggers hard at work bashing his opponent. As for Corker, I noticed that he cut and pasted onto his website the official statement on "values" that one is issued upon registering as a Republican.
Technically, Tennesseans will also be electing a governor next year; but no one seems eager to challenge current Governor Phil Bredesen. I'm not sure that anyone is really that impressed with Phil the Chill, who is a Democrat in a Republican state. Why isn't the GOP putting up a serious fight? Personally, I'm hoping for an interesting independent candidate to enter the gubernatorial race—someone who will get 3-4% of the vote, but who will raise important issues that no candidate interested in winning will talk about (someone other than John Jay Hooker).
My U.S. Representative, Democrat Jim Cooper, will probably get a free pass in 2006. I think I live in one of those congressional districts where incumbants automatically get re-elected. Frankly, I'm not sure why we elected Jim Cooper in the first place, but I have to admit that he's growing on me.
Shortly after Frist (who is taking an ill-advised shot at the GOP presidential nomination) announced that he would not seek re-election, Democratic U.S. Representative Harold Ford, Jr. appeared to have an early advantage. Now tarnished by corruption among other members of the Memphis royal family, Ford is no longer even a lock to win the Democratic nomination. Then again, I haven't heard much lately from Ford's primary competitor, State Senator Rosalind Kurita. (Primary has two meanings in that sentence, get it?)
The Republicans will be choosing between former U.S. Representative Ed Bryant and Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. Former Congressman and failed gubernatorial candidate Van Hilleary is also running, but his prospects don't look so good right now. No offense to Van, but I think he overachieved when he won his U.S. House seat. (A quick question for Republicans: What happened to Beth Halteman-Harwell?) Bryant, the anti-Hilleary Republican, has an army of bloggers hard at work bashing his opponent. As for Corker, I noticed that he cut and pasted onto his website the official statement on "values" that one is issued upon registering as a Republican.
Technically, Tennesseans will also be electing a governor next year; but no one seems eager to challenge current Governor Phil Bredesen. I'm not sure that anyone is really that impressed with Phil the Chill, who is a Democrat in a Republican state. Why isn't the GOP putting up a serious fight? Personally, I'm hoping for an interesting independent candidate to enter the gubernatorial race—someone who will get 3-4% of the vote, but who will raise important issues that no candidate interested in winning will talk about (someone other than John Jay Hooker).
My U.S. Representative, Democrat Jim Cooper, will probably get a free pass in 2006. I think I live in one of those congressional districts where incumbants automatically get re-elected. Frankly, I'm not sure why we elected Jim Cooper in the first place, but I have to admit that he's growing on me.
posted by Tinley | 6:58 PM
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