Congressional races will be significant

Intra-party challenges and an out-of-district challenger with a history of tax troubles set the stage for an interesting election year

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

With last week's filing deadline, we now know who is running for the U.S. Senate, Congress, and the State Legislature. While those that have already filed can opt out by the end of this week, no one new can get in.

Of all the races, the showdowns for Congress are among the most interesting. The fact that three members of Tennessee's congressional delegation are facing legitimate primary challenges is unique and will prove costly to Tennessee political contributors, especially Republicans. A fourth member of the congressional delegation is being challenged in the general election by an out-of-district millionaire who can largely self-finance, a trend among one party this year.

The three facing legitimate challenges are U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen, Marsha Blackburn and David Davis.

Cohen (D-Memphis) is facing a primary challenge largely based on the fact that he is a white Jewish liberal in a predominantly African-American district. To put it in any other light would be ignoring the facts, and the rhetoric, circulating around Memphis. Just this weekend, former Congressmen Harold Ford, Sr. and Harold Ford, Jr. repudiated comments made by family member Jake Ford calling on the district to elect an African-American.

In the district stretching from Memphis to the fringes of Nashville, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn is being challenged in the primary by Shelby County Register of Deeds Tom Leatherwood. Even though they served in the State Senate together a few years back, there appears to be no love lost between the two.

In his first letter to constituents asking for their support, Leatherwood unloaded a litany of reasons to oppose Blackburn that a number of NashvillePost.com sources said sent the incumbent's supporters into a rage. Don't expect either side to lighten up anytime soon.

In Northeast Tennessee, Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe has filed against first-term Congressman David Davis. His seat, held until for a decade by Bill Jenkins and for over 30 years by the late GOP legend Jimmy Quillen, hasn't been in Democratic hands for over a century and won't be anytime soon.

However, the intra-party fight that Davis won two years ago in a much-divided primary field got smaller and Davis is stuck facing the popular mayor of one of the largest cities in his district. It likely won't be as bitter as the battles in West Tennessee, but it will be one to watch none the less.

Finally, there only seems to be one congressional race that might get interesting in November.

Williamson County Republican businessman Monty Lankford has qualified to run against Democratic Congressman Lincoln Davis for the Middle/East Tennessee district once held by both Van Hilleary and current Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper.

The rub on this one is that while Lankford lives near the district, he doesn't exactly live in the district. What is even more interesting is that Lankford's business, TLC Medical Oxygen & Hospital Equipment, has had two federal tax liens filed against it in 2005 for not paying close to $20,000 in taxes. Not a good way to start a campaign.

Nationally, the GOP has had to wrestle significant fund-raising troubles and lags substantially behind Democrats. For this reason, a number of media outlets have noted that the GOP has recruited more than a few candidates who will carry their banner without needing to tap into party coffers.

It will be interesting to see if Lankford secures any GOP national money for his bid and whether the constituents of the congressional district will accept his candidacy.