Dems call for transparency, community input for redistricting process
With raw census data scheduled to be released on Thursday, Tennessee Democrats are calling for transparency in the once-per-decade redistricting process.
Here’s the full release:
NASHVILLE — Tennessee communities should have a voice in mapping the state’s political future for the next decade, lawmakers said Tuesday in a letter to legislative leaders, and citizens should not have to wait until 2022 to see new proposed district lines.
The process of drawing new electoral boundaries for the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislative districts only happens once every 10 years after the U.S. Census releases local data.
While many states have laws that require political boundaries to be drawn with community input, Tennessee’s process is controlled entirely by the majority party in the legislature.
In a letter dated Aug. 10, Democratic leaders in the Tennessee General Assembly urged the Republican speakers of both chambers to commit to an open and transparent process that provides citizens with opportunities to offer feedback on proposed maps.
“Perhaps more than any other single decision, the drawing of district boundaries will shape the policies adopted by the state over the next decade,” the lawmakers wrote. “We believe Tennesseans understand their communities and deserve a voice in how their communities will be represented.”
The letter was signed by Democratic leaders Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) and Rep. Karen Camper (D-Memphis) as well as both caucus chairs, Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) and Rep. Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville).
In the letter, lawmakers called on the speakers to follow three community-driven principles for drawing Tennessee’s new legislative districts:
1. Maintain an open and transparent process. “Citizens deserve a districting process they can understand and trust, as well as information about how they will be able to engage with key decisionmakers. In many states, this process includes a special committee that travels the state hosting public meetings, as well as a website that provides the public with the same updated information available to the legislative decisionmakers.”
2. Offer public and community engagement opportunities. “Citizens deserve opportunities, prior to our regular legislative session, to engage on this issue. We would request that a series of public hearings be held across the state, and that these hearings also be broadcast online, and that the General Assembly employ digital tools to permit the public to offer input and even submit district map proposals.”
3. Seek public input on the first drafts of maps this fall. “Throughout the nation, it’s become common for citizens and communities to review proposed maps well in advance of final adoption. We would propose making first drafts available to the public this fall in an easily usable format, with updates released prior to any formal consideration. Community leaders and members of the public need time to review maps, offer input, and even suggest or request changes prior to any community districting legislation being voted upon.”
“The community districting process should be among the most public endeavors that our state government undertakes. The General Assembly has access to the technology to make this process transparent and even interactive,” the Democratic leaders wrote. “Far from slowing down the legislative work of drawing new district lines, we believe such efforts would not only build trust but also lead to a stronger final product.”
On Aug. 12, the Census Bureau<https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/news-conference-2020-census-redistricting-data.html> will publish the first local level results from the 2020 Census, including data on race, ethnicity and the voting-age population.
Changes in population and demographics that have taken place over a decade will be used to draw new federal and state district maps — roughly equal in population.
Earlier this year, the nonpartisan group Think Tennessee<https://www.thinktennessee.org/research/elections-civic-life/> wrote about the benefits of a more public and transparent community districting process.
“Opening a window into Tennessee’s redistricting process to allow citizens to meaningfully participate would enhance their trust in the system,” Think wrote. “In a state that consistently ranks near the bottom of the country on voter registration and turnout, redistricting is a key opportunity to deepen civic engagement.”
Think also says Tennesseans historically have had fewer opportunities for public participation, and less access to draft district maps, than people in most other states.
“While most states proactively seek public input in the redistricting process, Tennesseans’ opportunities for engagement previously have been limited to submitting draft maps and sharing their opinions with their legislators,” the nonprofit wrote.
Democrat Potts won’t run for state House again next year
State Rep. Jason Potts (D-Nashville) won’t seek another term in the General Assembly next year, The Tennessean‘s Natalie Allison reports. Potts missed 21 of 34 legislative days this session, telling the paper the job doesn’t pay enough, that he wants to spend more time with his young family, and that he was “discriminated against” by the Republican supermajority.
Potts is the second lawmaker to say he won’t be returning next year. Republican Rep. Bruce Griffey of Paris has said he wants to run for a judicial seat or district attorney general in 2022. Several other lawmakers are expected to step aside with redistricting looming.
“I’m not going to run again when I’m discriminated against every day,” Potts told the paper about his inability to get legislation passed.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) rejected Potts’ assertion as “utter nonsense.”
“In order to pass legislation, you should be in the General Assembly to actually run a bill,” Sexton said.
New PAC takes aim at Gov. Bill Lee’s re-election bid
A new political action committee called Beat Bill Lee takes aim at the Republican’s re-election efforts. The PAC is run by Emily Cupples, the former communications director of the Tennessee Democratic Party.
Lee is running for a second term next year. While limited polling has shown his popularity has slipped with Democrats, he remains popular with Republicans. No Democratic candidate has won a statewide race in Tennessee since 2006.
Here’s the release from the new PAC:
GROUP OF CONCERNED TENNESSEANS LAUNCH BEAT BILL LEE PAC
April 29th, 2021 (Tennessee) – Today, Tennesseans from across the state filed a political action committee against Governor Bill Lee’s bid for re-election in 2022. Funded by small dollar donations, the PAC will use funds raised to organize hard working families across Tennessee and America to mobilize against the power grab from Bill Lee and other fringe conservatives. This political action committee is composed of Tennesseans from all parts of the state and members include working families, single young folks, white collar professionals, politicians, and Tennesseans from all backgrounds united around the mission to beat Bill Lee in 2022. Beat Bill Lee will utilize a mixture of traditional and unconventional campaign tactics to lead a campaign against the current sitting governor.“Since Bill Lee took office 7 rural hospitals closed, 4 during the COVID19 pandemic, unemployment reached an all time high, gun violence increased by 50%, and our student proficiency dropped. Spending $7 million taxpayer dollars on lawsuits, it’s evident Lee is serving dark interest groups and not Tennessee families. We cannot wait until 3 months out from election day, when the primary is over, to start mobilizing against Lee. We must stop Bill Lee and the dark money interest groups he represents from their continued destruction of Tennessee. The work to Beat Bill Lee begins today.” – Emily Cupples, Beat Bill Lee PAC Director.
Update: Dems force vote, abstain on re-election of Secretary of State Hargett
Tennessee Democrats objected to re-electing Secretary of State Tre Hargett by acclamation, forcing a roll call vote on another four-year term. Hargett went on to win 112 votes out of a possible 132.
The move by Democrats was largely symbolic, as Republican supermajorities in both chambers.
“In the middle of a pandemic, the secretary of state used the power of his office to undermine voter safety and kill bipartisan election reforms that would have made voting easier and more accessible to all Tennesseans,” Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro said in a statement. “We cannot, in good conscience, support his appointment to a new four-year term.”
The joint convention also re-elected David Lillard as treasurer and voted for Jason Mumpower to succeed Justin Wilson as comptroller.
Here’s the full release from the Democrats:
NASHVILLE – Democratic leadership in the General Assembly will cast a vote of no confidence on Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s nomination for a new four-year term citing his office’s record of pushing anti-democratic legislation and repeated court losses.
Members of the Tennessee General Assembly will appoint a secretary of state during a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives today.
Democratic leaders from both chambers say they expect the secretary of state to a be figure who unites lawmakers around proposals that make it safer and easier for people to vote, regardless of party or zip code.
“In the middle of a pandemic, the secretary of state used the power of his office to undermine voter safety and kill bipartisan election reforms that would have made voting easier and more accessible to all Tennesseans,” Sen. Jeff Yarbro, the Senate minority leader, said. “We cannot, in good conscience, support his appointment to a new four-year term.”
“Tennessee has become one of the most difficult states to cast a vote in and, as a result, voter participation in Tennessee is among the worst in the nation,” House Democratic Leader Rep. Karen Camper said. “Our secretary of state should be a champion for voters, a leader who is consistently committed to ensuring every eligible voter has an equal chance to participate in our elections.”
“Too often over his tenure, Secretary Hargett’s office has entangled the state in costly and unnecessary lawsuits,” Rep. Vincent Dixie, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said. “Instead of pushing unconstitutional legislation that suppresses the vote and wastes our resources, we should be working in partnership to address real problems, like updating the many outdated and corruptible voting machines throughout the state.”
“Despite the outcome of today’s vote, our caucuses will continue working on common sense reforms that empower voters and protect our elections,” Sen. Raumesh Akbari, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said. “Voter registration should be automatic. Every voter should have the option to vote by mail. Every voter should be able to verify their votes on a paper ballot. We can make a lot of progress quickly if we work together.
Maps show relative strengths of Democratic presidential candidates
Friend-of-the-blog Don Johnson is out with his latest maps breaking down last week’s Democratic presidential primary results. Have a look!
Knoxville:
Here's a map of last Tuesday's close result in Knox Co. Bernie did very poorly in TN's other major metro areas, but support around the UT Knoxville campus brought him within <1% of carrying the county.#GoVoteTN #ElectionTwitter pic.twitter.com/sT3xQIguUe
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 10, 2020
Shelby County:
Huge difference in Shelby Co. between votes cast early vs. election day. Bloomberg won early voting by 1%, Biden won E-day by 40 points.
Thanks @ShelbyVote for making this data available so quickly! pic.twitter.com/CCiZyR4c2x
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 7, 2020
Nashville:
Here is a precinct win map for the Dem Presidential Preference primary in Nashville-Davidson County. The Biden and Sanders coalitions lined up here pretty much as they did in other parts of the country. #ElectionTwitter #GoVoteTN pic.twitter.com/yZt8uHfsKJ
— Don Johnson (@htmldon) March 6, 2020
Keep ’em coming, Don!
FBI searches nursing school founded by Democratic state senator
The FBI has executed search warrants at a Memphis home and nursing school of Democratic state Sen. Katrina Robinson.
Toranio Bishop, who works at the nearby Detroit Barbershop, told the Commercial Appeal he said he saw what appeared to be FBI agents enter the nursing school at at 7 a.m. Friday.
“They came in like a parade,” Bishop told the paper, adding that students arriving at the school then left immediately.
The lawmaker didn’t immediately respond to questions from the Commercial Appeal or the Daily Memphian.
“We’ve been made aware of the investigation and have received no indication that it relates to the legislature or her legislative service,” said Senate Democratic Caucus spokesman Brandon Puttbrese. “Because the investigation is ongoing, we will not be making additional statements and will defer any further questions to Sen. Robinson’s attorney. Our thoughts are with Sen. Robinson and her family.”
Robinson founded the Healthcare Institute in 2015, according to its website. The for-profit school received at least $1.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Robinson in 2018 defeated incumbent Sen. Reginald Tate in the Democratic primary. Tate died last year.
Bloomberg to campaign in Chattanooga, Nashville on Wednesday
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is scheduled to appear in Chattanooga and Nashville on Wednesday, the first day of early voting for Tennessee’s Super Tuesday presidential primary.
Bloomberg previously visited Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville in December and January, while most of the other candidates have been focused on the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries. Bloomberg decided to sit those contests out in favor of concentrating on the far larger number of delegates available on Super Tuesday.
Bloomberg’s Tennessee events are being held at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga at 2 p.m. Eastern and at Rocketown in Nashville at 7 p.m. Central. The latter was a favorite among Republicans running for president in the 2016 cycle, including Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich.
Here’s the release from the Bloomberg campaign:
NASHVILLE — Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg will be in Chattanooga and Nashville on Wednesday, February 12 to hold rallies marking the start of early voting in the state ahead of the Super Tuesday primary.
This is Mike’s third trip to Tennessee since announcing his candidacy in late November.
In late December, Mike announced his national healthcare policy in Memphis and kicked off the grand opening of the state campaign headquarters in Nashville. He returned to the state on January 10 to open the Knoxville regional field office.
“The time, resources and attention Mike gives Tennessee shows his care and focus on Tennessee voters,” said Courtney Wheeler, Tennessee state director for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “We are glad to see he cares about our voices and are looking forward to giving him another big welcome this week.
The campaign’s deep presence in Tennessee is part of Bloomberg’s campaign to engage voters, win delegates on Super Tuesday and defeat Donald Trump.
Poll: Trump has big advantage over any Democrat in Tennessee
New polling results suggest President Donald Trump doesn’t have much to fear in his efforts to carry Tennessee again in November. According to a survey by Mason-Dixon, Tennessee voters give Trump a wide advantage, regardless of who turns out to be the Democratic nominee.
Here are the head to heads:
- Trump 55%, Joe Biden 39%.
- Trump 57%, Bernie Sanders 37%.
- Trump 57%, Elizabeth Warren 36%.
- Trump 55%, Pete Buttigieg 38%.
- Trump 54%, Mike Bloomberg 39%.
The poll of 625 registered voters, including 247 Republicans, 207 independents, and 171 Democrats, was conducted between Jan. 28 and Jan. 30. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Tennessee Super Tuesday presidential primary is on March 3.
Elizabeth Warren names Tennessee staff
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren announced her senior Tennessee staff includes Elizabeth Henderson as state director, Robin Alberts-Marigza as organizing director, and Sara Burklin as regional director for East Tennessee. (Henderson’s appointment was first reported by the Nashville Post’s Stephen Elliot in October.)
“Our campaign is committed to organizing everywhere and visiting parts of the state that are often overlooked in a Democratic primary. We are investing in communities from Memphis to Mountain City, connecting with Tennesseans on what Elizabeth Warren’s plans would mean for them,” Henderson said a statement.
The hires come on the heels of former New York Mayor Bloomberg naming Courtney Wheeler as the Tennessee director
for his Democratic presidential bid. Holly McCall is his state spokeswoman, and state Rep. London Lamar (D-Memphis) will serve as outreach director. Additional staffers include political director Ashford Hughes, digital director Spencer Bowers, and senior adviser Carol Andrews. Bloomberg visited Nashville and Memphis last week.
Billionaire Tom Steyer hired Tequila Johnson of The Equity Alliance and the Tennessee Black Voter Project as his state director.
Here’s the full release from the Warren campaign:
Nashville, TN – Today, Tennessee for Warren announced three senior staff hires, with over a dozen paid staff on the ground in Tennessee. The announcement follows months of outreach to voters across the state.
Elizabeth Warren was the first candidate of the primary cycle to visit Tennessee in March of 2019 when she held a town hall in Memphis. Over the past several months the Warren campaign became the first to open a field office in the state, and has held organizing events in every corner of Tennessee — including barnstorms in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. Team Tennessee for Warren has already organized canvasses and house parties in over two dozen counties. The team has been on the ground since October 2019.
“Our campaign is committed to organizing everywhere and visiting parts of the state that are often overlooked in a Democratic primary. We are investing in communities from Memphis to Mountain City, connecting with Tennesseans on what Elizabeth Warren’s plans would mean for them,” said State Director Elizabeth Henderson. “Our team includes not just experienced campaign hands but also rural organizers, teachers, social justice organizers — grassroots leaders that have been on the ground fighting for working families in their communities for years. Together, we are building a grassroots movement to fight for big, structural change and put power in the hands of all Tennesseans.”
Mackler blasts GOP opponents for Blackburn tweet
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Mackler is criticizing his Republican opponents for being “clones” of Republican Marsha Blackburn, who was elected to the chamber last year. Mackler, a former Army helicopter pilot, took aim at comments Blackburn made about Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified in the congressional impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Blackburn has said she stands by a tweet that stated: “Vindictive Vindman in the ‘whistleblower’s’ handler.” Republican candidates Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi have defended the president and condemned the House probe.
#MoscowMarsha isnt on the ballot in ’20 but my opponents for the open #TNSEN seat will be her clone. I’m a combat veteran & running b/c TN needs a senator to stand up for what’s right & stand up to any president when they’re wrong. Join the team today >> https://t.co/REGFUU2rCp pic.twitter.com/omwxqPvxkr
— James Mackler (@James_Mackler) November 23, 2019
Mackler closed his law practice after the Sept. 11 terror attacks to join the Army. He spent three years as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the 101st Airborne Division, which included a deployment to Iraq. He later served as a military prosecutor for the Judge Advocate General Corps.
