"I'm 100 percent in the race for Tennessee's 6th Congressional District," State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
"I'm not making a formal announcement until Diane Black announces for governor," Matheny added.
Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), who currently represents the 6th Congressional District, is considered likely to enter the race for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018. Rumors abound as to when that might happen, but the consensus is that if she decides to run, she will need to make the announcement some time between July and September.
If Black chooses to run for re-election to Congress Matheny told The Starhe will change his plans.
"If Diane Black does not run for governor, I will not run for the 6th Congressional district seat, and will instead for re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives," Matheny said.
First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2002, Matheny has long been a champion of conservative causes in the Tennessee General Assembly
Matheny was one of 35 Republican members of the House of Representatives who voted against Governor' Haslam's gas tax increase in the critical House vote in April where the bill passed by a 60 to 37 margin.
With the new Tennessee Star polling data revealing significant vulnerabilities for Senator Bob Corker among likely Republican Primary voters, the speculation about potential opponents who may seek to exploit those vulnerabilities has increased dramatically. (Regardless of how many think about it, if more than one conservative challenger actually gets in the race they give it to Corker. And a successful race will almost certainly require a minimum of $7 million.)
Who are these potential challengers? In alphabetical order:
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. Topping the wish list of many Tennessee conservatives is the Representative from Middle Tennessee's 7th District. Having represented a wide swath of West Tennessee before redistricting she has a significant base of support in both Middle and West Tennessee, which was reflected in the cross tabs in The Tennessee Star Poll head-to-head poll with Corker. Blackburn won the Middle portion of the state outside the margin of error (43-38) and beat Corker handily in West Tennessee (49-36). Statewide the two were within the margin of error with Corker edging Blackburn 41-39.
A Tennessean story that was widely repeated across the state and country reported that Blackburn has indicated that she will NOT run for the Senate in 2018. A closer reading of her actual quote indicates that, at least for now, she is focused on doing her job in Congress and running for reelection. Her statement was not as definitive as the headline indicated, and all other reporting is based on that one story. She may indeed opt out of challenging Corker, preferring to "wait and see" whether he actually runs, or whether Lamar Alexander decides to retire rather than seek reelection in 2020. Blackburn seems to see an "open seat" opportunity as her best option, but if Alexander doesn't retire her next "open seat" opportunity may not come until 2024. She seems to have a prime opportunity in 2018 if she is willing to seize it, and there is no guarantee that the landscape will be as favorable to her in 2020 or beyond.
Since the Tennessean story landed there has been no comment or response to it from the Blackburn team. To some, that silence appears to indicate that while the story was not specific in her rejecting a Senate run but it may nevertheless be accurate. Continued silence from Blackburn will essentially confirm the report and foreclose the option for her.
Mayor Tim Burchett. As Republicans look down the list of potential challengers to Corker an East Tennessee populist conservative Republican Mayor of Knox County will increasingly draw attention. Burchett is a proven vote-getter who is term limited from seeking reelection to his current position. A former State Senator and two term County Mayor, Burchett always seems to exceed expectations and has great personal appeal. He has the largest political base of any of the potential candidates other than Blackburn, and the East Tennessee factor should not be underestimated.
Joel Ebert , USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 11:15 a.m. CT June 6, 2017 | Updated 3:46 p.m. CT June 6, 2017
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn will seek to serve a ninth term in Congress.
"I am running for re-election to the House of Representatives," Blackburn, R-Brentwood, told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee on Tuesday. "That is my focus."
In recent months, political insiders had suggested Blackburn might mount a challenge against U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. The seat retained by the Chattanooga Republican is up for re-election in 2018.
Over the weekend a column in the Johnson City Press quoted the senator saying while he is undecided about seeking a third term in the Senate or doing something completely different, he discounted the notion that he might run for governor.
Randy Boyd enters governor's race: 'I could not be more excited'
Joel Ebert , USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 11:37 a.m. ET March 6, 2017 | Updated 6:46 p.m. ET March 6, 2017
Former Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd officially entered the 2018 gubernatorial race on Monday.
The Knoxville businessman released a statement Monday morning saying he filed his paperwork last week.
"There is not a better time to live and work in Tennessee, but not everyone is sharing in that success. So my campaign will be about expanding opportunities for every Tennessee family and community," the Republican said in the statement. "The opportunity for a better education - the opportunity for better jobs - and a better opportunity for everyone, regardless of where you live, whether you're from rural Tennessee, the inner city or somewhere in between.
"That's how I've tried to serve in the past, and that is my vision for an even greater, more successful Tennessee."
Boyd's announcement comes a little over a week after he told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee that he was "heavily leaning" toward entering the race.
"I like my chances. Nobody is going to be able to out-invest me. So I don't really have to worry about finances," he said. "From a raising funds point of view, we'll do well. I'm prepared personally to commit to whatever it takes to be successful."
Republican Bill Lee announces run for governor of Tennessee
Joel Ebert and Joey Garrison , The Tennessean Published 4:00 a.m. CT April 23, 2017 | Updated 9:23 a.m. CT April 24, 2017
For the past three decades, Bill Lee has built a family business into a Middle Tennessee brand.
Now the chairman and former CEO of Franklin-based Lee Co. will look to run on that career - and a life story forever altered by family tragedy - in a Republican bid for Tennessee governor.
"My life's circumstances and my life's experiences have led me to this," Lee said in an exclusive interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee during which he announced a gubernatorial run that had been widely anticipated.
Lee, 57, of Williamson County, enters a wide-open GOP primary with no government experience and a campaign platform of jobs, education and public safety.
He's the latest candidate to formally enter the race, joining former Tennessee Economic and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, another millionaire from the business sector whom Lee will need to distinguish himself from.
Rather than political service, Lee, who still lives on the cattle farm in Fernvale where he was raised, will lean on his lifelong career at Lee Co., a full-service home services, facilities and construction company founded by his grandfather in 1944, which Lee later purchased from his father and became president in 1992.
Mae Beavers says she's running for governor of Tennessee
Joey Garrison , USA Today Network - Tennessee Published 7:23 p.m. CT May 27, 2017 | Updated 9:26 p.m. CT May 27, 2017
State Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, says she plans to announce her candidacy for governor of Tennessee next week, making a sudden entry into the race as a fellow tea party-aligned Republican senator continues to mull a bid.
Beavers, in a news statement issued Saturday evening, said over the past several weeks "it has become increasingly clear that conservatives in Tennessee are looking for bold leadership that will not shrink from standing up and speaking up on the key issues facing our state."
"President Donald J. Trump is taking the lead in Washington, D.C., to 'drain the swamp' there, but we have our own swamp in Tennessee and I intend to do the same thing in the Volunteer State," Beavers said.
Beavers, a staunch conservative, particularly on social issues, rattled off a long list of causes popular with tea party Republicans as her platform, led by the threat she says radial Islam poses on Tennesseans. She called addressing it her top priority.
"The terrorist threat from radical Islam not only impacts other countries or major cities in our own country - that threat is also targeted at our communities and our families in Tennessee, and I intend to make security a centerpiece of my campaign," she said.
NOTE: If someone forwarded this email to you and you would like to receive more like this, click HERE to Register. For more information about Tennessee Eagle Forum, go HERE.
State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris is being vetted for potential appointment as a federal judge, reports the Times Free Press, citing two "Republican sources" at the state capitol who were contacted by the FBI as part of the customary background check that proceeds such by appointments. Besides that, two "law enforcement chiefs" who know Norris have apparently been contacted by agents as well.
There's previously been talk that Norris might be nominated by President Donald Trump for one of two current vacancies on the U.S. District Court bench in West Tennessee - those vacated by Judge Hardy Mays in 2015 and by Judge Daniel Green earlier this year. They retired - or "took senior status," as the judicial saying goes.
Norris has for months been saying he's interested joining the field of candidates running for the 2018 Republican gubernatorial nomination. But he's made no announcement - and the TFP says he did not return phone calls asking about his vetting for a federal judgeship.
A partner at the Adams and Reese law firm in Memphis, Norris was first elected to the state Senate in 2000 and represents part of Shelby and all of Tipton counties.
There has been speculation in legal circles that Norris' age - he's 61 - could weigh against him, given that presidents often like to appoint younger attorneys.
Republican state Rep. Jimmy Eldridge says he is "leaning toward" running to become mayor of Jackson in 2019, according to the Jackson Sun. "I have the experience, I have the energy, I have the health," Eldridge said in a phone interview. "I have desire to want to continue to serve. It's not even in my thinking process to ever retire from political life as long as my health is good and my friends, family and community are encouraging me." Current Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist's term runs through 2019 and he has not announced his future plans. Gist has served as mayor since 2007. (Note: Gist defeated former state Sen. Lowe Finney in 2015, winning with just over 51 percent of the vote.)
Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron and Pettus Read, a Rutherford County Commissioner and former communications director for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, are both considering a race to succeed Ernest Burgess as Rutherford County mayor in 2018, reports the Murfreesboro Post.
"I am looking at it. I have had several people ask me to," said Read, 68, who is retired from the Farm Bureau after 44 years.
...Ketron, meanwhile, said he is considering a run and noted his decision would likely depend on what happens by January in Tennessee political circles, largely based on U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and whether he takes a position in President-elect Donald Trump's administration.
...Ketron paints this possible scenario: If Corker were to become secretary of State under Trump, Gov. Bill Haslam could elevate himself to the U.S. Senate seat, leaving his position to be filled by the lieutenant governor, either current Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey or the likely successor, Sen. Randy McNally, who was recently elected as the Republican Caucus nominee for Senate speaker. Ramsey is not scheduled to leave his post until Jan. 10.
Such moves could put Ketron in a different situation, potentially elevating him to Senate Majority leader from caucus chairman or to Senate speaker, a post he expressed interest in seeking earlier this year when Ramsey announced he would not run for re-election.
Trump picks DA Dunavant as U.S. Attorney General for West TN
Michael Dunavant, who has been a state district attorney since 2006, has been nominated by President Donald Trump as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
Dunavant, of Covingon, now serves as DA for Tennessee's 25th Judicial District, which covers Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy and Tipton counties.
Some info on Dunavant from a Jackson Sun report in 2014, when he was running for a new eight-year term as DA (he won with 20,931 votes to 10,748 for challenger D.J. Norton of McNairy County):
Dunavant, 43, and his wife, Marianne, have an 11-year-old son named Hutch. Dunavant got his bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and his law degree from the University of Mississippi.
He has been practicing law for the past 19 years, 11 as a criminal defense attorney and the past eight as the 25th District's district attorney. Dunavant said he has learned a lot in his eight years as DA.
"In the last eight years, criminal activity has continued to change and evolve, and we as prosecutors need to change and evolve with it," Dunavant said.
