Tennessee Democrats weigh options for party chair

Loss of state legislature results in soul searching for Democrats looking for leader

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Tennessee Democrats can take solace in the fact that a Democrat will soon occupy the White House, but they are a bit more preoccupied right now about the state of their party. At the beginning of Gov. Phil Bredesen's second term, they controlled both branches of the state legislature. Now that control is gone.

Members of the Democratic caucuses of the state house and state senate will decide who will lead them in the legislature over the course of the next two years. Before they make their pick, however, the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee will have to decide if it want a new state party chairman.

The executive committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party is comprised of one man and woman from each of the state's 33 senate districts as well as 11 ex-officio members that include party officers and members of the legislature.

The committee, as in the case of their Republican counterparts, largely stays out of the news unless there is "trouble." Most recently, it made news when it stripped State Sen. Rosalind Kurita of her designation as the Democratic nominee for State Senate District 22.

Historically reluctant to change its ways and fight over what political professionals would call "petty politics," this group is now tasked with deciding how its party changes the way it will do business. Those who write the checks that the committee spends will be watching closely over the next few months to see whether they will continue funding the party's operation.

Gray Sasser, who has been the chair for the past two years, initially indicated that he would not seek a second term in the office, but word on the street is that he may be reconsidering. How that would play with members of the executive committee remains to be seen.

Chip Forrester, the current treasurer of the party, has already announced that he doesn't think Sasser is running and has offered himself up as a candidate for chair. Forrester is well known in Democratic circles and is best known for having challenged then-incumbent Congressman Bob Clement for U.S. Congress immediately after he had resigned as state director for then-U.S. Sen. Al Gore. Gore, who was not informed of Forrester's congressional challenge until it became public, was picked by Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, to be his running mate shortly after.

Two more names being floated for the office are that of Nashville attorney's Charles Robert Bone and Jerry Martin.

Bone, a Sumner County native, is a partner in the law firm of Bone, McAllester & Norton and served as finance chair for the Obama Tennessee campaign and Harold Ford Jr.'s run for the U.S. Senate.

Martin is a partner in the law firm of Barrett, Johnston & Parsley and is a native of Bell Buckle. He most recently served as state director for Obama's campaign in Tennessee and worked with Bone on fund-raising efforts.

While some might scoff at the Obama experience of both Bone and Martin, remember that they were largely tasked with generating phone banks into targeted states like North Carolina. Martin could forgo a run for party chair and concentrate on a possible run for U.S. Congress should the seat by Congressman Jim Cooper come available.

Speaking of Cooper, what Nashville's congressman does will be of major interest to political watchers. Forget whether Obama offers him an appointment or not – Cooper is for all practical purposes the most powerful Democratic political figure in the state.

Bredesen may have more real power, but when it comes to Washington political leaders who decide whether or not to send campaign dollars this way, they will probably be more inclined to listen to Cooper over the governor.

Cooper endorsed Obama early while Bredesen waited until the nomination was in the bag and then made several quixotic forays into national media territory by giving Obama unsolicited advice. Those familiar with Bredesen know he was honestly answering questions or "thinking out loud," but most don't know the governor like that and the "advice" came across poorly.

Cooper's primary responsibility will continue to be representing Nashville in Congress. But the Democratic state party chair would be best served to have Cooper on his side when visiting Washington.