Election Day is tomorrow, and before we get to the big local race -- for Hamilton County Sheriff -- I thought we'd breeze by the candidates running in the primaries for U. S. House of Representatives and U. S. Senate. Congressman Zach Wamp, a Republican, is serving his seventh consecutive two-year term in District 3. Chattanooga is the major metro area in the district, which stretches narrowly all the way to the Kentucky border, and includes Oak Ridge. This year Rep. Wamp has a primary challenger in Teresa Sheppard, who touts her endorsement by the National Republican Liberty Caucus as one of the reasons to support her over the incumbent. A glance at Ms. Sheppard's issue positions leads one to think that she more closely represents the small-"l" libertarian wing of the GOP than does her opponent.
The Democratic Party has curiously but consistently avoided putting forth any serious effort to unseat Wamp since he was first elected, and this year is no exception. Even the First and Second Districts, which have voted Republican since the 1800s, have a couple of Democratic hopefuls each. But here, instead of a spirited primary among a couple of Hamilton County contenders and some rural counterparts, tomorrow's ballot will have only one name: Doug Vandagriff. Note to Mr. Vandagriff: these days, sir, a campaign Website is a must. There are very inexpensive options that are easy enough to self-maintain. As it is, I cannot offer readers much information about who you are. The U. S. Senate primaries are opposite to the above: no Republican is challenging the incumbent, Senator Lamar Alexander; and six quixotic Democrats are intent on being the one who gets trounced in the general election. (Readers will not infer a bias in the previous statement; rather, it's purely about the numbers. As someone who typically votes with the Democratic Party recently told me, "I don't think of Lamar as a Republican or a Democrat. He's just Lamar.") The Democrats break down this way: former state party chair Bob Tuke and longtime Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett are the front-runners. Each has a solid organization built around his likely constituencies: Tuke has the attorneys, some urban progressives, and -- due to his service in Vietnam -- a contingent of veterans; and Padgett has a statewide network of county courthouse employees and other local officials, plus he has stumped hard in the state's farmlands. A dark horse candidate who has been able to largely self-finance is Kenneth Eaton; and the other three names are Mark Clayton, Gary Davis, and Leonard Ladner. Other House races: while most incumbents in Tennessee's nine districts are fairly safe, the two at the extreme opposite corners face vigorous challenges in tomorrow's primary by repeat opponents. In Memphis, Nikki Tinker is waging a race-tinged (unfortunately) rematch against Congressman Steve Cohen; and in the Tri-Cities, freshman U. S. Rep. David Davis is in some danger of being toppled by 2006 primary rival Phil Roe.
Joe Lance
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