GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Plan Election Night Parties as Bitter Battle Comes Down to Final Day

Bill Lee, Diane Black, Beth Harwell, Randy Boyd

As The Tennessee Star reported Wednesday, the gubernatorial candidates have engaged in a venue-filled, final days sprint across the state to rally votes for today’s primary. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Candidate schedules, in no particular order, are: Beth Harwell Beth Harwell announced she will…

Read More

PAC Ad Supporting Harwell Says Legalized Marijuana Will ‘Create a State That Lets People Live in a Better State’

Bruce Wolfe

A new ad from a PAC called TN State Victory touting gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell’s support of medical marijuana has hit the airwaves. Sources tell The Tennessee Star the PAC is spending $87,000 to run the ad on broadcast and cable television stations around the state, beginning today and continuing…

Read More

OFF THE RECORD: Randy Boyd Skips Knoxville Debate . . . For ‘Pricey Steakhouse Dinner’?

Randy Boyd

Randy Boyd set off a chain reaction when he cancelled Sunday night’s GOP gubernatorial candidate primary debate in Knoxville. Now, one reporter says the cancellation was due to a “pricey steakhouse dinner,” as first reported at TNJ: On the Hill. Boyd had cited an unspecified scheduling conflict as his reason…

Read More

OFF THE RECORD: In Case You Missed This From the GOP Primaries . . .

Barry Doss, Randy Boyd, Clay Doggett, Beth Harwell

What do you get when horse-race gambling meets legal weed? Beth Harwell for governor! There was an “interesting” welcome line-up for Harwell’s June meet and greet in Jefferson City putting Harwell and company only about 20 miles northeast of GOP challenger mega-millionaire Randy Boyd’s home of Knoxville. Four state legislators…

Read More

Steve Gill: GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debate Cancellation May Be Due To Perceived Lack of Effectiveness

Steve Gill

A top political analyst says he is not surprised that three of the candidates running in the Tennessee Republican gubernatorial primary dropped out of the last statewide televised debate scheduled for this weekend in Knoxville. The cancellation comes after Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell and Diane Black dropped out, WKRN said. “My…

Read More

Three GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Say Uphold the Constitution, But Tennessee Attorney General Disagrees and Randy Boyd Is Silent

Bill Lee, Diane Black, Herbert Slatery

This past May, seven states, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, sued the federal government to stop Obama’s unconstitutional DACA administrative amnesty program once and for all. To date, Tennessee’s Attorney General Herbert Slatery has not joined the lawsuit. In fact, it appears that Slatery has done an about…

Read More

Gas Tax Increases Another 1 Cent Per Gallon Today Thanks to Gov. Haslam, Democrats, and ‘Moderate’ Republicans

Tennessee Star

The state gas tax increased another 1 cent per gallon today, thanks to the IMPROVE Act passed by Democrats and “moderate” Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam in May 2017. The controversial law raised state gas taxes by 6 cents per gallon…

Read More

GOP Gubernatorial Debate Produces Few Sparks But Several Distinctions on Policy

Bill Lee, Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell

The second in a series of three debates between the four candidates for the Republican nomination for governor broadcast across the state produced few fireworks on Wednesday night. However, it may have helped Bill Lee introduce himself and gain traction as voters begin to increase their focus on a race…

Read More

A Doctor and a Constitutional Lawyer Are Battling for the GOP Nomination to Succeed Beth Harwell in House District 56

MoodyWilliams

Come November, the winner of the GOP primary for Beth Harwell’s District 56 seat will face off against Democrat Bob Freeman, son of wealthy real estate developer and former Nashville mayoral candidate Bill Freeman. Republican primary opponents Nashville attorney Joseph Williams (pictured, right) and dermatologist Brent Moody (pictured, left) strike…

Read More

Karl Dean and Former Maryland Gov. Who Endorsed Him Are Both Into ‘Big Chicken’ Industry

Martin O'Malley and Karl Dean

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, who also served two terms as mayor of Baltimore, has endorsed Karl Dean in the Democratic primary for Tennessee’s next governor, as The Tennessee Star reported on Monday. The possibility has been floated that O’Malley will campaign in Tennessee on behalf of Dean. O’Malley, like…

Read More

Will Liberal Teachers’ Union Endorsement Hamper Beth Harwell In Her Gubernatorial Nomination Bid?

As The Tennessee Star has reported, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has received the Tennessee Education Association’s endorsement for the Republican nomination for Governor. The Tennessee Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education (TEA-FCPE), which is the PAC and political arm for the teachers’ union in Tennessee, has endorsed…

Read More

Haslam Passes Sanctuary City Bill Without Signing; Boyd, Who Claims He’s Against Sanctuary Cities, Wouldn’t Ask Him to Sign

Randy Boyd and Bill Haslam

Governor Haslam announced today that instead of signing or vetoing the anti-sanctuary city bill he will allow it to become law without his signature: I could sign it but that would mean that I agree that we have an issue around sanctuary cities. In that regard, intentionally or not, the…

Read More

Potential Haslam Veto of Sanctuary Bill Hurts Boyd But ‘Could Ignite’ Harwell’s Campaign

Randy Boyd and Bill Haslam

Open borders and leftist groups are demanding Governor Haslam veto the sanctuary city bill. Proponents of the bill who don’t want criminal illegal aliens released into their communities, want the bill to become law – with or without the Governor’s signature. Putting HB2315 into state law helps Haslam make good…

Read More

Harwell, Like Boyd, Supported Elevating Political Influence of Current Chairman of National Council of La Raza

Beth Harwell, Renata Soto, Randy Boyd

After Renata Soto, founder and director of Nashville-based Conexion Americas became a leader in the National Council of La Raza, both GOP gubernatorial candidates Beth Harwell and Randy Boyd, helped elevate her influence in political circles. The Tennessee Judicial Council first appointed Soto to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC)…

Read More