Republicans launch full-blown attack on Democrat nominee in Senate District 14

The Tennessee Republican Party has launched a direct mail attack on Gayle Jordan, declaring the Democratic nominee in a Senate District 14 special election “a self-described ‘hippie liberal atheist activist’… (who) wants to destroy our conservative Tennessee values.”

State GOP Chairman Scott Golden has also issued a press release calling on the two Democratic candidates for governor, Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh, to denounce Jordan as an example of “extremism in their party.”

And Republican Senate Speaker Randy McNally has declared in a tweet: In my 40+ years in politics, I’ve seen few candidates as dangerous as Gayle Jordan. We need to strongly reject her assault on faith and our Tennessee values. District 14 needs to send @ReevesforTN to the @tnsenate on March 13!

Jordan responded in a Facebook video that McNally shouldn’t be using taxpayer money “wasting time on Twitter attacking religious liberty:”

The GOP nominee is businessman Shane Reeves, who isn’t even mentioned in the GOP mailer attacking Jordan. The Democrat has a more generic mailer out herself, headlined with a declaration that she “supports expanding access to healthcare for all our families.”

Republican U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Scott DesJarlais have announced they’ll appear at a “get-out-the-vote” rally in Murfreesboro Saturday with Reeves.

Excerpt from the TNGOP direct mail piece:

ANTI-RELIGION

-Gayle Jordan describes herself as a ‘firebrand atheist.’

-Jordan has served as the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion, a non-profit that helps individuals ‘cross that bridge’ from believing in God to being an atheist.

ANTI-TENNESSEE VALUES

-She is pro-choice and ‘relentlessly supports and will defend’ abortion rights, putting the lives of unborn children in danger.

-Opposes repealing Obamacare, telling USA Today, ‘don’t repeal it.’

OPPOSES PROTECTIONS FOR CHILDREN

-Jordan is ‘dissatisfied’ with legislation that would protect our children by limiting which bathrooms transgender individuals may use in public schools.

The aggressive GOP attacks are a contrast to the relatively benign approach to the recent Senate District 17 special election, where Democratic nominee Mary Alice Carfi  came within 308 votes of defeating Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), causing alarm in some GOP circles. (Previous post HERE.) Both Senate districts 17 and 14 are considered staunchly Republican.

Early voting has been underway since Feb. 21 and continues through Thursday with March 13 as election day. The special election was triggered by the resignation of former state Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) to take a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Through Monday, a total of 4,493 votes have been cast in the special election, according to the state Division of Elections website.