Provisional ballots add to former pro wrestler’s victory margin in Knox County GOP mayor contest
With provisional ballots counted, former professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs’ Republican primary victory in this week’s Knox County mayoral election increased from 17 votes to 23, reports the News Sentinel. Runner-up Brad Anders, a county commissioner, conceded once the final unofficial count was completed.
Lee gets celebrity help in seeking evangelical vote (‘God can work through him’)
Williamson County businessman Bill Lee has five celebrities serving as “honorary co-chairs” in a listing of his gubernatorial campaign supporters called “Community and Faith-Based Advisory Council.” Celebrities are country music star Ricky Skaggs, former Nashville Predators captain Mike Fisher, former NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip along with gospel singers Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith.
Songwriter abandons bid for 7th Congressional District seat
Just a month after announcing he would seek the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District, country music songwriter Lee Thomas Miller has changed his mind.
Haslam to consider clemency for reported sex abuse victim who committed murder at age 16
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam says his administration has begun gathering information on Cyntoia Brown, a Nashville woman whose murder conviction has become a cause célèbre, reports WPLN. But a decision on whether to grant her clemency is unlikely to come until the last days of his term in January, 2019, in keeping with a tradition established by predecessors.
Brown was convicted more than a decade ago for the murder of a Nashville man. Advocates for Brown say she was caught up in a so-called “sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline.” At 16 years old at the time of the crime, Brown says she was the victim of sex trafficking.
Songwriter/conservative activist eyes run for 7th Congressional District seat
Lee Thomas Miller, a country music songwriter prominent in the industry both for his hits and his advocacy for conservative causes, is on the verge of joining the field of Republicans who want to succeed Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the 7th Congressional District seat.
So reports the Nashville Post, following up on Miller comments reported in Tennessee Star on Monday as creating “a lot of buzz” and adding a bit more commentary.
Peyton Manning: No to Senate race, yes to Alzheimer’s research
Football star Peyton Manning told a Nashville sports radio station Wednesday that he won’t run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, according to the Associated Press.
“I certainly have an interest in politics and in our country,” the former NFL and University of Tennessee quarterback told WGFX-FM. “I just have zero interest in being a politician.”
On songwriting Sen. Rusty Crowe, Glen Campbell and Tanya Tucker
State Sen. Rusty Crowe is co-author of a song paying tribute to the late Glen Campbell that has been recorded by Tanya Tucker and released for sale this week, reports the Johnson City Press. The song, “Forever Loving You,” ties into legislation Crowe, R-Johnson City, successfully sponsored last year that was promoted by two of Campbell’s children.
Haslam found what he’s looking for at Bonnaroo?
Tweet from the governor of Tennessee while visiting the Bonnaroo music festival near Manchester on Saturday — pictured with Crissy and members of the band U2.
Corker and Peyton Manning join Trump on Sunday golf outing
Former NFL star Peyton Manning and Republican Sen. Bob Corker were spotted at the White House on Sunday, joining President Donald Trump in his motorcade on a trip to Trump National Golf Club, according to multiple media reports. Excerpt from the CNN version:
The White House did not comment on what Trump was doing at his property, but reporters saw golf clubs being unloaded from the motorcade after the President’s arrival back to the White House.
This is the 16th weekend of Trump’s presidency in which he’s visited a property that bears his name, and the 26th day of his presidency he has spent at a Trump golf property.
According to the press pool reports, the trio spent about 4½ hours at the golf club.
Peyton Manning was set to receive the Lincoln medal at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on Sunday night, along with American businessman Ronald Perelman. The medal is given to a person who “exemplifies the lasting legacy and mettle of character embodied by the most beloved president in our nation’s history, President Abraham Lincoln,” according to pool reports.
Senate votes to repeal voter ‘selfie’ ban violated by Justin Timberlake
State senators voted unanimously Thursday to repeal the law Justin Timberlake famously violated last year and allow “selfie” pictures to be taken at polling places.
Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey noted in brief remarks on the Senate floor that Timberlake made “national and international news” by taking a picture of himself while voting “in my hometown of Germantown” and posting it on the Internet.
The celebrity entertainer said later he did not realize he was violating a state law, which was passed in 2015 with Kelsey as Senate sponsor. He was not prosecuted.
