During his closing remarks at the Hamilton County Democratic Party's annual Estes Kefauver Dinner, Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester exhorted the gathered party members to support Paula Flowers in her bid for the Third District congressional seat Monday evening.
This likely came as a surprise to Brent Benedict, who was present at the fundraiser, and is also seeking the Democratic Party's nomination in next year's primary election.
It is not typical for a party official to openly side with one candidate over his or her opponents during a contested primary. State Senator Andy Berke hosted the Kefauver Dinner and declined to introduce the gubernatorial candidates other than with their names, in order to avoid the perception that any one introduction would seem more emphatic than the rest. And Berke acknowledged the presence of both congressional candidates while announcing the dignitaries in attendance.
Benedict declined to comment on the apparent endorsement of his opponent by the party chair. Forrester has not responded to inquiries for comment.
Benedict won the 2006 primary for this seat, having received more Democratic votes than fellow Chattanoogan Terry Stulce. Rep. Zach Wamp was re-elected in the November general election.
Joe Lance
chipforrester on Nov. 18, 2009
I am not endorsing Paula over Brent. Brent is not a properly filed candidate for US Congress. When he becomes a legitimate candidate I will mention him like I do Paula. To date, the Primary is uncontested with only one properly filed candidate. I would encourage Brent to go ahead and file if he is serious about this race.
There are other names "floating" around who might enter the race and I am not mentioning them until they file.
As Chair I will not take a position in the Primary if there is more than one candidate.
Chip Forrester
Chair
Tennessee Democratic Party
Josh on Nov. 18, 2009
I just think the guy is in over his head.
joelance on Nov. 18, 2009
Thank you for the clarification, Chip. I understand your point about the filing process.
However, my reading of the most current FEC regulations (http://fec.gov/pdf/candgui.pdf) suggests that a person interested in seeking a federal office only needs to "properly" file if and when that person has raised, or spent, at least $5,000. Until then, if the person possesses the qualifications for holding the office, I don't see any restrictions on their being considered a candidate.
In fact, in the "Testing the Waters" chapter of the aforementioned document, a potential candidate is automatically considered an actual candidate simply by participating in one or more specified activities.
Some might conclude from this that it's all about money. And I concede that, in reality, a candidate for the U.S. House is going to need much more than five grand in order to win the seat. But here's the flip side. Any citizen who is qualified should be able to volunteer his or her services to the applicable district's constituents by declaring a candidacy to represent them; and that declaration should be free of any monetary concerns. It should be free, period.
If one has declared to the public, through the traditional media or otherwise, that he or she is a candidate for office, and is seeking the nomination of a political party, then it behooves officers of that party to acknowledge that candidacy, regardless of an arbitrary contribution/expenditure threshold.
Again, I take your point with regard to my choice of words, i.e. "takes sides" and "endorsement"; but I encourage you to avoid letting money alone dictate your definition of "uncontested."