On Friday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order allowing the mayors of counties across the state to issue face mask mandates if needed.
In a tweet-thread, the governor wrote:
<blockquote>Today I signed Executive Order 54 to grant county mayors in 89 counties the authority to issue local mask requirements in the event of a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.
While our densely populated urban areas continue to have the highest COVID-19 case rates, our local governments expressed a need for greater flexibility in addressing a rise in cases and that includes setting stronger expectations around masks.
This targeted approach ensures we protect both lives and livelihoods and safely keep our economy open in Tennessee. We encourage every Tennessean across the state to use a face covering or mask, make sure to socially distance and wash hands frequently.</blockquote>
Lee added that “the six counties with locally run health departments including Sullivan, Knox, Hamilton, Davidson, Madison and Shelby counties retain the existing authority to issue mask requirements as needed.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
While our densely populated urban areas continue to have the highest COVID-19 case rates, our local governments expressed a need for greater flexibility in addressing a rise in cases and that includes setting stronger expectations around masks.
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBillLee/status/1279186022170009605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
The pertinent text of the <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2020/7/3/gov--lee-grants-mayors-in-89-counties-authority-to-issue-covid-19-mask-requirements.html">executive order</a> reads in part:
<blockquote>&#8230;county mayors in the 89 counties that do not have a locally run county health department shall have the authority to issue orders or measures requiring or recommending the wearing of face coverings within their jurisdictions, consistent with Paragraph 3 of this order.</blockquote>
Paragraph 3 states: “WHEREAS, whether to require or recommend wearing a face covering may depend on the spread of COVID-19 or lack thereof in a particular community, which varies widely across the State, and local governments are therefore better positioned to make this decision based on the conditions in their communities&#8230;”
The EO continues, stating that any mayoral orders should follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and allow for certain “exemptions.”
Some “exemptions” noted in the text – one does not have to wear a mask “while eating or drinking,” while in places where one can properly maintain social distance, while “in a house of worship unless required by that house of worship,” if one is 12-years-old “or younger,” and if one has a legitimate “health-related” excuse.
Additionally, masks are not required in one’s own home or vehicle, “unless transporting others for hire,” among other exemptions.
Read the entire executive order <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2020/7/3/gov--lee-grants-mayors-in-89-counties-authority-to-issue-covid-19-mask-requirements.html">here</a>.
According to the <a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/health/cedep/ncov/data.html">Tennessee Department of Health</a>, the state has seen 50,140 COVID-19 cases, and 637 deaths as of publication. Two counties in Tennessee, Shelby and Davidson, currently account for approximately 44.5% of total cases in the state.
Other states experiencing COVID-19 spikes have made moves similar to Lee’s executive order.
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-governor-greg-abbott-issues-statewide-face-mask-requirement-following-coronavirus-spike">reported</a>, “Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Thursday mandating that Texans must wear a face covering when they are out in public in counties that have 20 or more confirmed cases of the coronavirus.”
COVID-19 has infected over 11.1 million people worldwide, and led to more than 528,200 deaths, <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">according to data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. Over 6 million people have recovered.
In the United States, there have been more than 2.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over 129,600 deaths. As of publication, 883,561 individuals have recovered from the virus in the U.S.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-governor-greg-abbott-issues-statewide-face-mask-requirement-following-coronavirus-spike">Texas Governor Greg Abbott Issues Statewide Face Mask Requirement Following Coronavirus Spike</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Various masks

Tennessee Gov Allows ‘County Mayors’ To Make Mask Mandate Decisions

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Face Mask

Tennessee

A prominent prep school in Nashville, Tennessee has said it will no longer hold its annual celebration of George Washington because its “not consistent or relevant to the way that we teach history today.”
The prep school, Harpeth Hall, made the decision last week, The Tennessee Star <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/2020/06/17/nashvilles-harpeth-hall-will-no-longer-have-george-washington-celebration/">reported</a>. Jess Hill, who heads the school, wouldn’t answer the outlet’s specific questions about canceling the event, but did send a statement.
“After much thoughtful dialogue spanning several years, Harpeth Hall has decided to discontinue the annual George Washington Celebration,” Hill wrote.
Hill included three reasons why the school decided to end the celebration:
<blockquote>“It is not consistent with or relevant to the way that we teach history today.”
“It does not demonstrate the significant role that women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups play in our nation’s history.”
“A growing number of students, faculty, staff, and alumnae are expressing their discomfort with this tradition.”</blockquote>
“For the past several years, the Leadership Team, faculty, and students have questioned in separate discussions the long-standing tradition of the George Washington Celebration at Harpeth Hall – a place where girls are at the center of our story. During this past school year, we held focus group discussions with our Alumnae Board and Head’s Young Alumnae Council to gather their thoughts. We also conferred with administrators and teachers charged with leading the program over many years,” Hill wrote in the statement to the Star. “In consideration of their feedback and our mission, we have decided that the George Washington Celebration held on February 13, 2020 marks our final performance.”
On Tuesday, Hill sent an email to school alumni, which was obtained by the Star, that explained the history of the celebration.
“In 1913, young women at Ward-Belmont lived and studied in a protected enclave where young men were not allowed. In an effort to provide a social activity during a winter weekend that year, Ward-Belmont students planned a party where they imagined the lives of our founding fathers, dressed in colonial costumes, and danced the minuet to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. This social occasion was not a part of the educational program and continued for decades, with a multi-year hiatus during World War II when all citizens were called upon to conserve resources and support the war effort,” the email said. “When Ward-Belmont closed in 1951 and Harpeth Hall began on the Hobbs Road campus, many former Ward-Belmont teachers brought traditions with them to continue the all-girls experience in Souby Hall, our first classroom building. The George Washington Celebration resumed in 1955 and served as an opportunity for beloved and revered Miss Patty Chadwell to teach dance in her Physical Education class.”
The celebration, according to the email “experienced many evolutions over the decades.”
“In 1982 [it] became a seventh grade activity, where girls were assigned to be soldiers, sailors, captains of the guard, or one of the guests at the celebration. Two outstanding students, first in the junior class and later in the eighth grade, were honored each year as George and Martha Washington,” the email said as an example.
The Star reported that Harpeth Hill is an expensive all-women prep school spanning middle school and high school, with famous alumni such as Reese Witherspoon and Amy Grant. The school costs upwards of $30,000 a year.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

George Washington statue

Nashville Prep School Ends Annual George Washington Celebration Because It’s Not ‘Relevant To The Way That We Teach History Today’

Cancel culture

George Washington

On Monday, Republican Govs. Brian Kemp and Bill Lee, of Georgia and Tennessee respectively, announced major moves in reopening their economies.
In Georgia, fitness centers, beauty shops, and other businesses are eligible to reopen starting on Friday, while Tennessee will see its stay-at-home order expire on April 30.
&#8220;The current White House criteria to reopen America includes three phases, and Kemp said that the state was &#8216;on track to meet the criteria for Phase One&#8217; by having adequate testing, hospital capacity, and contact tracing of the virus,&#8221; <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/kemp-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen-in-georgia-amid-covid-19-fight">Fox 5 Atlanta</a> reported Monday.
In order to meet the federal threshold of &#8220;phase one&#8221; in reopening, Gov. Kemp said the state of Georgia will be partnering with Georgia Health system to &#8220;double down&#8221; on testing, according to the report.
&#8220;Testing defines the battlefield and aids our long term strategy,&#8221; the Republican noted.
With COVID-19 under control in Georgia, the state will be allowed to resume elective surgeries, and &#8220;gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, beauty shops and salons, barbershops, body art studios, and more would be able to open Friday, April 24,&#8221; reported Fox 5 Atlanta.
The businesses will be reopening with new guidance, allowing additional sanitation measures and social distancing, for example.
By April 27, said Kemp, movie theaters and dine-in restaurants will be allowed to reopen, again, with social distancing measures.
&#8220;By taking this measured action, we will get Georgians back to work safey, without undermining the progress we all have made in this battle against COVID-19,&#8221; the governor said. &#8220;Today&#8217;s announcement is a small step forward and should be treated as such.&#8221;
&#8220;Georgians who are small business owners, those people have good common sense and we&#8217;re trusting them to use it, but if they abuse it, we will take further action,&#8221; Kemp added. &#8220;But I believe they can do it as part of this measured approach.&#8221;
In Tennessee, residents will see Gov. Lee&#8217;s stay-at-home order, dubbed &#8220;Safer at Home,&#8221; expire at the end of the month, &#8220;allowing the &#8216;vast majority&#8217; of businesses in Tennessee to reopen beginning Friday, May 1,&#8221; reported <a href="https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/gov-lee-tennessees-safer-at-home-order-will-expire-april-30-allowing-most-businesses-to-reopen/51-91eb56fa-e0a7-4b98-93ef-66a80e75b53d">WBIR</a>.
“Our Economic Recovery Group is working with industry leaders around the clock so that some businesses can open as soon as Monday, April 27,” Gov. Lee said. “These businesses will open according to specific guidance that we will provide in accordance with state and national experts in both medicine and business.”
The governor will be working with several county leaders and their health departments to &#8220;plan re-opening strategies,&#8221; the report noted.
“While I am not extending the safer at home order past the end of April, we are working directly with our major metropolitan areas to ensure they are in a position to reopen as soon and safely as possible,” Lee said. “Social distancing works, and as we open up our economy it will be more important than ever that we keep social distancing as lives and livelihoods depend on it.”
On April 24, state parks will be allowed to begin reopening in phases, the Republican said at a Monday briefing.
&#8220;Mayors from Tennessee&#8217;s four largest metropolitan areas, including Knoxville, said last week they formed a task force of health and business professionals that will guide the phased reopening process,&#8221; WBIR reported. &#8220;The task force will begin meeting this week, saying they will publicly announce their initial discussions, findings, and action steps.&#8221;
The governor emphasized that maintaining social distancing will be vital while the state reopens the economy.
&#8220;The only way we can do that is if Tennesseans remained committed in social distancing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It will be lifted as a mandate, but not as something necessary for us to participate in.&#8221;

Brian Kemp

IT BEGINS: Republican Governors Announce Major Moves To Reopen Economy As Early As Friday

Economy

Georgia

For states across the South, Easter Sunday brought massive storms that lead to the deaths of at least 26 people at the time of this writing.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/13/easter-storms-rock-the-south-killing-at-least-19-people/">reported</a> that “storms caused flooding, mudslides and power outages across 10 states, from Georgia to West Virginia and as far west as Texas.” In Chattanooga, Tennessee, fire departments received at least 300 emergency calls due to the damage caused by the storms, and a local fire department reported that 14 people were hospitalized. The Weather Channel <a href="https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2020-04-13-tornadoes-storms-impacts-south-carolina-georgia-mississippi-arkansas">added</a> that at least 20 people across the state had been hospitalized and “more than 150 structures were damaged or destroyed in Hamilton County, which surrounds Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
More from the Weather Channel:
<blockquote>Hamilton County Emergency Management Communications Director Amy Maxwell told the Chattanooga Times Free Press <a href="https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2020/apr/13/20-hospitalized-150-buildings-damaged-storms/520520/">more than 500 first responders</a> were conducting a &#8220;grid search&#8221; of the hardest-hit areas.
&#8220;We&#8217;re still in the rescue mode and that &#8216;s pretty much going through the area which was affected, going door to door to make sure that we got everyone accounted for,&#8221; Maxwell said. &#8220;Obviously, there&#8217;s significant damage in East Brainerd and East Ridge, but the total destruction is in East Ridge.&#8221;</blockquote>
The Weather Channel also reported that “65 residents of an Alzheimer&#8217;s living facility were moved to a nearby hotel after the buildings there were damaged in the storm, according to The Weather Channel&#8217;s Dave Malkoff, who was reporting from the scene. Malkoff pointed out where parts of the roof were ripped off.”
The mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Chuck Espy, reportedly told the media that power lines were knocked over and trees were blown into homes by strong gusts of wind.
“I know these are some tough times and I’m just asking everyone to stay prayed up,” Espy said.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ended up declaring a state of emergency after tornadoes appeared across the state. Eleven people died as of Monday morning, the Post reported.
“This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter,” Reeves said on Twitter. “As we reflect on the death and resurrection on this Easter Sunday, we have faith that we will all rise together.”
One of those who died in Mississippi was Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Ainsworth and his wife, Paula. Robert reportedly shielded his wife in an attempt to save her during the storm.
Georgia’s WAGA-TV <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/at-least-6-dead-dozens-injured-after-severe-storms-rip-through-georgia-overnight">reported</a> that Murray County Fire Chief Dewayne Bain said the storms had killed at least five people in Chatsworth and that two mobile home parks had been practically blown away. Those who died were reportedly from three different homes and were all adults. At least 23 people were taken to the hospital and four people are still missing.
A sixth person died in Cartersville, Georgia, after a large tree crushed the back side of his house.
The Weather Channel reported that the death count totaled 26 by Monday morning and that more than “1.2 million homes and businesses were without power.”
Another person was killed in Seneca, South Carolina. The Weather Channel also reported that planes “were flipped and hangars damaged at the Lowcountry Regional Airport in Walterboro.”

Severe Storms

At Least 26 Dead After Storms Sweep South On Easter

Mississippi

weather

Former Vice President Joe Biden is so far sweeping the Southern states on Super Tuesday, having immediately won the North Carolina and Virginia primaries after polls closed. He also won Alabama just after the polls closed, but had to battle it out in Tennessee with rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
With 49% of precincts reporting, The New York Times and NBC called the primary for Biden around 9:15 p.m. So far on Super Tuesday, Biden has won four states while Sanders has won his home state of Vermont. At the time of this writing, Biden was leading in an additional four states – Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Arkansas – while Sanders was leading in Maine, Colorado, and Texas.
The early primary results give Biden a commanding delegate lead, but Texas and California – which each have hundreds of delegates to disperse – have not been called yet. Sanders, as mentioned previously, is leading in Texas and recent polls suggest a strong showing for him in California.
There are 14 states with primaries on Super Tuesday, but so far Biden is doing well. Of the five states that have been called so far, Biden has won four. The wins keep him in the lead as far as delegates go, but there are still 9 states to be called and even though some of Biden’s challengers dropped out over the weekend, he still has to contend with Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Biden had been doing poorly in the early primary states: He placed fourth in Iowa, received no delegates from New Hampshire, and placed a distant second in Nevada. On February 29, however, his luck began to turn as he finished first in South Carolina, bringing his delegate count from a dismal 15 to a commanding 54, just six delegates behind the current front runner, Sanders.
By winning Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, Biden will pick up around 150 delegates, while Sanders so far is taking home far less in these early states. That will Biden him into not only an early lead for Super Tuesday, but also put him in the lead for the Democratic nomination. Sanders won his home state of Vermont, but that brings with it about a dozen delegates.
Of course, this early win may not seal Biden as the candidate. Just days ago, Sanders was polling 2-to-1 over his next closest rival in California, which has a whopping 415 delegates to give away. But Biden’s quick win in Virginia could also signal a continued upswing for the candidate. In the days before Super Tuesday, some of Biden’s toughest competitors dropped out of the race and endorsed him. Both South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (who won the Iowa caucus and had the second-most delegates before the South Carolina Primary) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who surprisingly had come in third place in New Hampshire and picked up a delegate in Iowa, dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden in an effort to keep Sanders from winning the nomination. Along with their endorsements, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and failed presidential and senate candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke (D-TX) also endorsed Biden.

Joe Biden

Biden Continues March To Nomination, Winning Alabama and Tennessee

2020 Election

Alabama

Bernie Sanders

A massive tornado ripped through Nashville, Tennessee, overnight, killing at least 21 people, decimating acres of land in some of the city&#8217;s eastern suburbs and nearby counties, and &#8220;leaving hundreds displaced from their homes and dozens of buildings damaged or destroyed,&#8221; according to local media.
Severe storms moved through middle Tennessee overnight, spawning a series of tornados that blasted through the city&#8217;s downtown area, ripping through Nashville&#8217;s Germantown neighborhood. One large tornado was responsible for much of the damage.
They need your prayers in Nashville, Tennessee,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-residents-capture-powerful-storm-tornado-damage-tuesday-morning">Fox News&#8217; Janice Dean said</a> during the network&#8217;s morning forecast.&#8221; &#8220;This was an overnight, rain-wrapped tornado while people were sleeping and now they are waking up to extreme destruction, devastation and deaths in the Nashville area.&#8221;
Nashville is hurting, and our community has been devastated,&#8221; Nashville mayor John Cooper <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCooper4Nash/status/1234790502052106241">said in a statement released to media early Tuesday</a>. &#8220;My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. Be sure to lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need, and let&#8217;s come together as a community once more. Together, we will get through this and come out stronger. I am currently working with those at the Emergency Operations Center and receiving regular updates and damage assessment reports. I am also working closely with federal contacts on all recovery assistance options. A more comprehensive media update is coming up this morning.&#8221;
At the moment, authorities are working diligently to locate and rescue survivors and direct those left homeless to shelters.
&#8220;There are multiple homes damaged and multiple injuries. We have requested mutual aid from allied agencies. We continue to search for injured,&#8221; one local law enforcement agency said on social media.
The tornados took local residents by surprise, with some telling local media that they had little to no warning of the coming danger.
&#8220;It just woke you out of your sleep,&#8221; one victim, whose home was destroyed, told the local Fox affiliate. &#8220;I&#8217;m lucky my side didn&#8217;t get torn off. The other side is totally torn off.&#8221;
&#8220;When you&#8217;re inside it&#8217;s one thing, but to walk outside and see this it&#8217;s bad,&#8221; she added.
Shocking photos and videos of the damage were quickly uploaded to social media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Homes wrecked as Nashville wakes to aftermath of deadly tornadoes. <a href="https://t.co/oiKGYE9AkW">https://t.co/oiKGYE9AkW</a> <a href="https://t.co/WSGgpPYR4v">pic.twitter.com/WSGgpPYR4v</a>
&mdash; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1234884893815050240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
One of our helicopters just landed after surveying tornado destruction from overnight. <a href="https://t.co/XmBpbOmBuf">pic.twitter.com/XmBpbOmBuf</a>
&mdash; Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) <a href="https://twitter.com/MNPDNashville/status/1234877304477831168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Prayers to Nashville <a href="https://t.co/dGMQvxCY8p">pic.twitter.com/dGMQvxCY8p</a>
&mdash; Old Row (@OldRowOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldRowOfficial/status/1234862352941699073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
President Donald Trump noted on social media Tuesday that he is monitoring the situation on the ground in Nashville.
&#8220;Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;We will continue to monitor the developments. The Federal Government is with you all of the way during this difficult time.&#8221;
The White House announced early Tuesday afternoon that the president will make a visit to affected areas later this week.
Tennessee is one of over a dozen states casting ballots in today&#8217;s &#8220;Super Tuesday&#8221; primaries and Nashville authorities are making efforts to help those who want to cast a ballot in the Democratic primary.
&#8220;Davidson County polling locations will be opening an hour later than planned, per Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/21119552/19-dead-including-two-in-nashville-after-overnight-tornadoes">Nashville Scene</a>. The Secretary of State is also opening additional polling locations for those displaced by the tornados and allowing those individuals whose polling locations were impacted by the storm vote at other locations.

Nashville tornado

Tornado Rips Through Downtown Nashville Overnight, Killing At Least 21 People

Nicolas Sutton was hit with multiple life sentences for killing three people, including his own grandmother. Then he received a death sentence for killing a child rapist while serving time in jail.
Sutton is scheduled to be killed via the electric chair on Thursday, and his clemency petition was rejected by the governor of Tennessee.
Correctional officers are asking for Sutton to be spared due to his transformational and apparently life-saving behavior in prison, pleading that the criminal serve out his life sentences and eventually die without being killed by the state. According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nicholas-sutton-death-row-execution-petition-tennessee-2020-02-19/">CBS News</a>, Sutton&#8217;s victims&#8217; families don&#8217;t want him on death row, either.
A <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1G4TctOlHtmYld5VTNFSEdVUEtSOVB4ZTV0WVROTVFvb2NR/view">petition</a> for Sutton&#8217;s clemency, dated January 14, starts: &#8220;Nick Sutton has gone from a life-taker to a life-saver. Five Tennesseans, including three prison staff members, owe their lives to him. The support of his victims&#8217; families, correction staff, jurors and those whose lives he&#8217;s saved attest that a life sentence meets the imperatives of justice and mercy.&#8221;
Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee denied Sutton&#8217;s clemency petition on Wednesday.
“After careful consideration of Nicholas Sutton’s request for clemency and a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and will not be intervening,&#8221; reads a <a href="https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2020/2/19/statement-from-gov--bill-lee-on-nicholas-sutton.html">statement</a> from Governor Lee.
However, as noted by CBS, &#8220;A final decision can be handed down until the minute Sutton sits in the electric chair.&#8221;
&#8220;Sutton, 58, was convicted of killing four people, including his grandmother Dorothy Sutton, his high school friend John Large, and Charles Almon,&#8221; <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2020/02/19/tennessee-execution-gov-bill-lee-nicholas-todd-sutton/4794172002/">Knox News</a> outlined. &#8220;He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the stabbing and killing of fellow inmate Carl Estep in 1985.&#8221; Estep, according to the outlet, was a convicted &#8220;child rapist.&#8221;
Former corrections officer Tony Eden credits Sutton with saving his life during the 1985 riots at the Tennessee State Prison.
&#8220;I have four boys and a girl now who probably wouldn&#8217;t be here if that day turned out differently,&#8221; Eden told CBS News. &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t have the life I have today if it weren&#8217;t for Nick.&#8221;
The former corrections officer says Sutton could have asked to cash in a favor after saving his life, though he never did, except for when Sutton asked him to be his best man.
&#8220;He asked me to be the best man in his wedding,&#8221; recalled Eden. &#8220;That&#8217;s the only thing he ever asked for that I know of. And all he wanted was just for me to stand there.&#8221;
&#8220;The eldest daughter of the inmate Sutton killed has joined the effort to spare his life,&#8221; CBS reported. &#8220;In a clemency petition filed on January 14, she advocates against the execution, saying &#8216;the pain and suffering her family has endured would only be made worse&#8217; if Sutton was killed.&#8221;
Attorney for Sutton, Kevin Sharp, argued that folks like Sutton keep jails safer.
&#8220;You need people like Nick who make the place safer,&#8221; Sharp told CBS. &#8220;He&#8217;s not getting out, all we&#8217;re asking for is the governor commute his execution. He would still die in prison, just not by the electric chair.&#8221;
&#8220;He has saved the lives of three corrections officials during his incarceration; his request for clemency was supported by seven former and current Tennessee correction professionals, family members of victims, five of the original jurors and others,&#8221; Sharp added, according to <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/19/Tennessee-governor-denies-clemency-for-death-row-inmate/1541581729216/">UPI</a>.

Nicholas Sutton

Man Who Killed Child Rapist In Jail Scheduled To Be Executed Thursday

Prison

In videos first posted by LifeNews, female pro-life sidewalk counselors and activists are seen harassed and forcibly pushed around by pro-abortion activists outside an abortion clinic in Bristol, Tennessee.
Holding a sign with an image of an aborted baby, a pro-life woman is confronted by a pro-abortion activist who repeatedly pushes against the woman&#8217;s sign and brags that the cops will not help her. Another activist ridiculed a pro-life woman who was offering to adopt children who are spared by abortion; the pro-abort called the pro-lifer a &#8220;childless b****&#8221; and told her that she&#8217;ll &#8220;never&#8221; have a baby in her empty womb.
&#8220;Stop pushing on my sign,&#8221; the pro-lifer tells the abortion activist in a video provided to <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2019/09/19/videos-show-abortion-activists-kicking-shoving-and-harassing-peaceful-pro-lifers/">LifeNews</a> by A Cause for Christ president Sammi Cooper. The incident took place in August.
The pro-abort taunts the woman for being powerless against the harassment and intimidation, daring her to call the cops. &#8220;You know what they’ll do? Nothing,&#8221; she boasts.
The harassment of pro-life activists outside the abortion facility, according to provided video footage, appears to be persistent since at least August. A Cause for Christ activist Erika Schanzenbach told LifeNews the organization has witnessed &#8220;increasingly nasty behavior from the pro-abortion protesters in the past few months.&#8221;
&#8220;My hope is that God will be glorified as we work to bring the light of His truth to that very dark place. These little ones are my most helpless neighbors, so I go to stand and speak for them,&#8221; said Schanzenbach.
Both Cooper and Schanzenbach told the outlet that activists have been harassed, spat on, cursed at, and followed to their vehicles, but local law enforcement has been missing in action.
Life News&#8217; <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2019/09/19/videos-show-abortion-activists-kicking-shoving-and-harassing-peaceful-pro-lifers/">Micaiah Bilger</a> reported further on the video footage:
<blockquote>At two separate points, the woman attempts to walk away, but the pro-abortion escort follows her closely and then begins pushing against the sign again. Later, the pro-abortion escort appears to shove and kick the sign while the woman holds it.
&#8220;Stop kicking my sign!&#8221; the woman says.
The pro-abortion escort smiles mockingly and replies: &#8220;What are you going to do about it? You can’t do anything about it.&#8221;
The video also captured a nasty comment from another abortion activist who mocked a supposedly infertile couple standing on the sidewalk offering to adopt a child.
&#8220;You childless b****!&#8221; the activist can be heard saying. &#8220;Absolutely nothing in your womb and nothing ever gonna be in your womb.&#8221;</blockquote>
WATCH:
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In another captured instance of pro-abortion harassment, a sidewalk counselor is again taunted, mocked, and pushed. Bilger reported:
<blockquote>The protester then mocks the woman after admitting to touching her: &#8220;I touched your sign. I didn’t touch you. Is that going to hold up in court? She touched my sign, judge! She touched my sign!&#8221;
&#8220;You’re physically shoving my body,&#8221; the woman replies.
&#8220;Well, take me to court,&#8221; the protester yells in the woman’s face.
&#8220;Don’t spit on me,&#8221; the woman responds as the escort continues to yell.
After the woman calls the police, the pro-abortion protester tells her the police will not do anything. &#8220;Have they ever done anything about it? No … and the cops aren’t going to tell me to back off either. There’s no personal space law.&#8221;</blockquote>
WATCH:
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Pro-Abortion Protest

WATCH: Pro-Aborts Harass, Push Pro-Life Activists: Call Woman ‘Childless B****,’ Brag Cops Won’t Help Them

Abortion

Feminism

Free Speech

Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams still won&#8217;t concede the election, which has been over for four months. She also appears to be plotting some kind of revenge for her loss.
Abrams was giving a lecture at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, on Tuesday when she yet again refused to concede. A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution <a href="https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/the-jolt-opposition-airport-takeover-could-cost-delta-tax-break/vznTYhu5k5feHLPhkZ2JhM/">was at the event</a> and seems to be the only outlet reporting Abrams&#8217; quote about revenge.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t concede that I lost. I acknowledge that I&#8217;m not the governor of Georgia,&#8221; Abrams reportedly said. &#8220;That&#8217;s made plain every day I don&#8217;t walk into the Governor&#8217;s Mansion.&#8221;
She then discussed what happened between the time she lost the election and 10 days later &#8212; when she gave a speech where she refused to concede. She reportedly told the crowd, yet again, that Gov. Brian Kemp abused his power (he was the Georgia secretary of state while running for governor) to suppress votes &#8212; a claim that has been repeatedly debunked. In reality, voter participation has doubled since Georgia&#8217;s 2014 gubernatorial election.
&#8220;I upend the tradition of politics where you&#8217;re supposed to be genteel, say everything is fine. I didn&#8217;t do that,&#8221; Abrams told her audience.
&#8220;I could fight just to fight, but the minute it becomes about me, it becomes a vanity project. &#8230; That can&#8217;t be the reason you do things. And I spent that 10-day period plotting. Revenge can be very cathartic,&#8221; she added.
Abrams wouldn&#8217;t say at the event what her next plans were &#8212; whether she planned to run for president or the U.S. senate &#8212; but she did reveal two things she required for meeting with any potential Democrat presidential candidate:
<blockquote>
One, you have to tell me what you&#8217;re going to do about voter suppression. And two, you have to believe Georgia is a swing state.
</blockquote>
Abrams filed a federal lawsuit claiming Georgia election officials &#8220;grossly mismanaged&#8221; the gubernatorial election, suppressing the votes of low-income voters and people of color. The suit is still in the courts, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/b38c2c2aacb347618d315c7a306d37fe">according to the Associated Press</a>.
Abrams also suggested people vote against anyone who tries to suppress voters (which, according to her and other Democrats, means requiring a person to prove who they are before voting).
&#8220;I&#8217;m still sad, still angry, but I&#8217;m less bitter than I was. That has to be channeled into action, and that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m trying to do,&#8221; she told the audience.
Her lecture was part of an annual series. Last week, former President George W. Bush spoke, <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/03/20/stacey-abrams-vanderbilt-university-georgia-lecture-series-voter-suppression/3216535002/">according to the Tennessean</a>, but the event was close to the press.
Abrams is one of two 2018 Democrats who lost their elections but refuse to concede. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who lost his bid for Florida governor, recently told &#8220;Real Time&#8221; host Bill Maher that <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/03/20/stacey-abrams-vanderbilt-university-georgia-lecture-series-voter-suppression/3216535002/">some votes were not counted</a>, and if they were, the outcome might have changed.
&#8220;Had we been able to legally count every one of those votes not just in Florida but in Georgia, I wonder what the outcome may be,&#8221; Gillum said.

Stacey Abrams Says She Spent Days After Election Loss Plotting: ‘Revenge Can Be Very Cathartic’

Andrew Gillum

Democratic Party

Stacey Abrams

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced her first bill in the Senate. The proposed law, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, is a counterpart to a similar bill introduced in the House of Representatives. The legislation seeks to deny funding to abortion organizations, including Planned Parenthood. 
The freshman senator made the announcement in a statement on <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1083499955686440960">Twitter</a>. 
&#8220;Today, I introduced my first bill in the United States Senate, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which strips all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Tennesseans and the American people do not want their tax dollars funding abortions. They have made this position clear time and again. Hardworking taxpayers do not want to subsidize the business of abortion providers and entities such as Planned Parenthood.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Today, I introduced my first bill in the United States Senate, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which strips all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding. <a href="https://t.co/UwtbwGt1wd">pic.twitter.com/UwtbwGt1wd</a>
&#8212; Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1083499955686440960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The <a href="http://tennesseestar.com/2019/01/11/u-s-sen-blackburn-introduces-first-bill-as-senator-to-protect-the-unborn/">Tennessee Star</a> reports that Blackburn introduced her bill last Thursday one day after U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-04) introduced H.R. 217 Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-6).
If passed, the legislation &#8220;amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) to provide federal family planning grants only to entities that certify that, during the period of the grant, they will not perform abortions or provide funds to entities that perform abortions.&#8221; It makes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. The Senate version would also increase funding for &#8220;Community Health Centers&#8221; aimed at giving women an alternative to abortion. 
The National Right To Life organization praised the bill. NRL Legislative Director Jennifer Popik told <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/10/senator-introduces-new-bill-to-defund-planned-parenthood-abortion-business/">LifeNews</a>, &#8220;Most Democrats in Congress think Planned Parenthood can do no wrong. Congresswoman Hartzler knows better and we thank her for her leadership in working to defund America&#8217;s largest abortion provider.&#8221;
She added in a <a href="https://www.nrlc.org/site/communications/releases/2019/national-right-to-life-praises-blackburn-bill-to-defund-planned-parenthood/">statement</a>, &#8220;We applaud Senator Blackburn for her long history of protecting unborn children while in the U.S. House and look forward to her continued leadership in the Senate.&#8221;
Sen. Blackburn has been a strong supporter of Pro-Life causes. During her 2018 campaign, she was endorsed by several Pro-Life organizations, including the Senate Pro-Life Coalition, National Right to Life, the Knox County Pro-Life Network, and the Susan B. Anthony List. 
She said at the <a href="http://tennesseestar.com/2018/08/03/marsha-blackburn-announces-pro-life-coalition/">time</a>, &#8220;The first of our rights is the right to life. It is both my duty and honor to protect life, and I am honored to have such a committed group of Tennesseans supporting my campaign for Senate. In the Senate, I will continue to stand for the sanctity of life and the protection of women and unborn children.&#8221;
She would go on to defeat Democratic former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen in the midterm election, despite Bredesen receiving high-profile endorsements, including by popstar Taylor Swift. Blackburn&#8217;s victory made her the first female senator elected in the state. 
Planned Parenthood and its affiliates receive $543.7 million, nearly 40% of its budget, from federal, state, and local grants paid for by taxpayer dollars. 
<div> </div>

Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s First Senate Bill Could Defund Planned Parenthood

Conservatism

Planned Parenthood

Republican Party

Taylor Swift

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

On Monday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a seventh-generation Tennessean, announced he would retire from the senate and not seek reelection in 2020. Alexander&#8217;s statement is likely to trigger a fierce competition in the GOP primary, as Tennessee is a solidly Republican state.
Alexander&#8217;s statement read:
<blockquote>
I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate in 2020. The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years as Governor and Senator than anyone else from our state. I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege. I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have. I will continue to serve with that same spirit during the remaining two years of my term.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Alexander is the only person to be elected in Tennessee as both a governor and a senator; his 2008 general election vote total of 1,579,477 is the largest ever received by a statewide candidate.
As his <a href="https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&amp;id=D00D0EED-BC1F-439E-9E5C-B9210FCB5DF2">website</a> notes:
<blockquote>
He authored opioids legislation signed into law in October which President Trump called &#8220;the single largest bill to combat a drug crisis in the history of our country.&#8221; In 2016, he wrote the &#8220;21st Century Cures Act,&#8221; which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called &#8220;the most important law of this Congress.&#8221; In 2015, Alexander authored the &#8220;Every Student Succeeds Act,&#8221; fixing &#8220;No Child Left Behind.&#8221; &#8230; the Wall Street Journal said it was the &#8220;largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter century.&#8221;
</blockquote>
In 1978, when he was running for governor, Alexander walked from Mountain City the far northeast of the state to Memphis, a distance of 1,022 miles wearing a red and black flannel shirt; that shirt became identified with him.
Alexander has served as president of the University of Tennessee and U.S. Secretary of Education under President George H.W. Bush. According to <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/lamar-alexander/">fivethirtyeight.com,</a> Alexander has voted in line with President Trump&#8217;s position 93.7% of the time. Alexander differed from Trump, voting for a nonbinding motion calling for congressional approval of national security tariffs. Alexander also voted to impose sanctions on Russia in June 2017, which Trump opposed at the time, and opposed repealing parts of Obamacare, which Trump favored. That vote came in July 2017.
Speculation as to who will succeed Alexander immediately erupted. As political analyst and University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato, pointed out, a plethora of candidates for Alexander&#8217;s seat is expected to emerge. Sabato tweeted, &#8220;Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) retiring, seat up 2020. Hope springs eternal for Dems, but the early rating for Crystal Ball is Safe R. I asked good source: Which Rs are running now? Answer: &#8216;Everyone I know.&#8217;&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) retiring, seat up 2020. Hope springs eternal for Dems, but the early rating for Crystal Ball is Safe R. I asked good source: Which Rs are running now? Answer: &#8220;Everyone I know.&#8221;
&#8212; Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarrySabato/status/1074715460392902659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
One rumor suggested former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, who starred at the University of Tennessee, with one Tennessee representative apparently throwing out Manning&#8217;s name.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
one Tennessee Rep. speculated to me that Peyton Manning would run for this seat if Alexander retires <a href="https://t.co/6H9td93DrH">https://t.co/6H9td93DrH</a>
&#8212; Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoePerticone/status/1074715113100378112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>

Senate Seat At Risk: Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander Says He Won’t Run For Reelection

In the last few days before the &#8220;most important midterm elections in history,&#8221; pollsters and analysts began to backpedal on their predictions about the much-hyped Blue Wave, which turned out to be merely a solid win in the House and a true Blue Wipe-out in the Senate. On Monday, Politico provided some quotes from pollsters warning the public that &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/38016/not-normal-election-have-pollsters-failed-account-james-barrett">this is no normal election</a>&#8221; and suggesting that many of the polls might&#8217;ve failed to calibrate for some unprecedented factors, including a &#8220;staggering&#8221; early voting turnout and a surge in &#8220;non-usual&#8221; voters.
So, with the dust settling, how did pollsters do in some of the key races? In short, they generally underestimated Republican support, again.
After crunching all the most recent polling data, Nate Silver&#8217;s FiveThirtyEight predicted on election morning that Republicans would end up with <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/senate/?ex_cid=midterms-header">52 seats</a> in the Senate and Democrats would most likely secure <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/house/">234</a><a href="http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/house/"> seats</a>. Both estimates appear to err slightly on the side of Democrats. Republicans are currently poised to end up with 53 and possibly even 54 seats, depending on how Arizona and Colorado shake out (Republicans currently have a slight edge in both with 99% and 84% reporting, respectively). Democrats did make major gains in the House, but appear likely to fall short of Silver&#8217;s prediction.
More notable than the overall number of seat wins and losses is the percentages by which Republicans defeated Democrats in some key races, particularly in the &#8220;toss-up&#8221; Senate and gubernatorial races, which garnered the most national attention. Below is a comparison of some of the polling predictions vs. the electoral results in some key Senate and gubernatorial races.
Florida Governor Race
A vast majority of the polls predicted that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum would win by anywhere from 4 to 7 points over Republican Ron DeSantis. Election morning, <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/governor/fl/florida_governor_desantis_vs_gillum-6518.html">Real Clear Politics</a>&#8216; average of the key polls showed Gillum ahead of DeSantis by 3.6 points. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/38061/obama-backed-rising-star-democrat-falls-trump-james-barrett">reports</a>:
<blockquote>
Quinnipiac&#8217;s poll of 1,142 likely voters (conducted 10/29-11/4) gave Gillum a comfortable 7-point advantage. A HarrisX poll of 1,400 likely voters conducted over the same period found Gillum leading by 4 points. An Emerson poll of 748 likely voters (conducted 11/1-3) gave the Democrat a 5-point edge, as did St. Pete Polls&#8217; survey of 3,088 likely voters (conducted 11/3-4). Only one of the polls factored into Real Clear Politics&#8217; average gave DeSantis an advantage: Republican polling firm Trafalgar Group polled 1,484 likely voters during the final two days before the election and found DeSantis with a 3-point lead.
</blockquote>
Gillum ended up losing by 1 point to DeSantis. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/fl">NBC News</a> lists the current vote count at 99% reporting, DeSantis earning 4,052,246 and Gillum garnering 3,996,906, a 55,340-vote difference.
Florida Senate Race
According to pollsters, incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson was supposed to defeat Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Real Clear Politics&#8217; final average gave Nelson a <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/fl/florida_senate_scott_vs_nelson-6246.html">2.4%</a> lead over Scott, with polls showing him leading by anywhere from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/38048/election-night-key-senate-races-all-latest-results-james-barrett">2 to 7 points</a>: &#8220;Quinnipiac&#8217;s final poll showed Nelson up by 7 points; HarrisX found Scott leading by 2; Emerson gave Nelson a 5-point advantage; St. Pete Polls gave the incumbent a 4-point lead; and Trafalgar Group showed Scott with a slim 2-point edge.&#8221;
But, as with the Gillum-DeSantis contest, the Republican Trafalgar Group ended up being the only one that got the apparent victor correct. With 99% reporting and Scott beating Nelson <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/elections/live_results/2018/senate/">50.2 &#8211; 49.8</a>, Scott has declared victory.
Indiana Senate Race
Sen. Joe Donnelly was another incumbent Democrat that most pollsters believed would defeat Republican challenger Mike Braun, and by as much as 7 points: &#8220;Real Clear Politics&#8217; final <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/in/indiana_senate_braun_vs_donnelly-6573.html">average</a> gave him a slim 1.3% advantage over Republican Mike Braun. The final poll by CBS News/YouGov found Braun up by 3 points; NBC News/Marist found Donnelly leading by 2 points; Fox News found Donnelly ahead by 7 points; and the most recent poll, by HarrisX, found Braun with a razor-thin 1-point edge.&#8221;
Braun has been declared the winner by a sizable margin. With 93% reporting, Braun leads Donnelly by around 10 points, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/in">52.9 &#8211; 43</a>.
Missouri Senate Race
While some pollsters did end up giving Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley an edge over incumbent Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill, only Trafalgar Group (again) got close to predicting his significant 6-point margin. With 99% reporting, Hawley leads McCaskill by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/mo">51.5 &#8211; 45.5</a>.
RCP&#8217;s <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/mo/missouri_senate_hawley_vs_mccaskill-6280.html">final average</a> gave Hawley a razor-thin 0.6% edge, with three of the six most recent polls showing them tied, NBC News/Marist giving McCaskill a 3-point lead, Trafalgar Group showing Hawley up by 4, and Emerson giving him a 3-point advantage.
Montana Senate Race
With 95% reporting, Republican Matt Rosendale leads incumbent Democrat Jon Tester <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/mt">48.8 &#8211; 48.3</a>. On election morning, RCP gave Tester a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/mt/montana_senate_rosendale_vs_tester-6306.html">3.3-point</a> advantage: &#8220;Gravis&#8217;s final poll gave Tester a 3-point lead; HarrisX gave him a 6-point lead; and Trafalgar Group gave him just a 1-point edge over Rosendale.&#8221; Once again, Trafalgar Group got the closest.
Tennessee Senate Race
While most pollsters accurately predicted Republican Marsha Blackburn would defeat Democrat Phil Bredesen (despite Taylor Swift&#8217;s endorsement), all of them underestimated the size of the victory. With 99% reporting, Blackburn leads Bredesen by about 11 points, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/tn">54.7 &#8211; 43.9.</a> On election morning, RCP gave her a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/tn/tennessee_senate_blackburn_vs_bredesen-6308.html">5.2-point</a> advantage, with CNN showing her ahead by 4, Fox News by 9, and Emerson by 8.
North Dakota Senate Race
Similar to the Tennessee race, pollsters likewise correctly gave Republican Kevin Cramer the advantage over incumbent Democrat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, but underestimated the size of his victory. RCP&#8217;s final average was a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_cramer_vs_heitkamp-6485.html">9-point</a> lead for Cramer, with both Trafalgar Group and Fox News showing him the same advantage. With 99% reporting, Cramer holds an 11-point lead over Heitkamp, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/nd">55.4 &#8211; 44.6</a>.
West Virginia Senate Race 
As with the Tennessee race, pollsters slightly underestimated Republican support in the contest between incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Patrick Morissey. Manchin won by 3.2 points, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-west-virginia-elections.html">49.5 &#8211; 46.3</a>. On election morning, RCP gave Manchin a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/wv/west_virginia_senate_morrisey_vs_manchin-6258.html">5-point</a> lead by average, both MetroNews and Emerson giving him that same advantage.
Not all of the polling data underestimated Republicans; in a few races, pollsters missed the mark going the other direction. Democrat Jacky Rosen defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller by over 3 points, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/nv">49.7 &#8211; 46</a>, in the Nevada Senate race. Polling data showed the two <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/nv/nevada_senate_heller_vs_rosen-6304.html">tied</a> on the morning of the election. Likewise, incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was supposed to skate to victory in the Texas Senate race, polling data giving him a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/tx/texas_senate_cruz_vs_orourke-6310.html">6.8-point</a> lead heading into the election. He ended up only winning by only about 2.6 points, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2018-election/midterms/tx">50.9 &#8211; 48.3</a>.

So How Did The Pollsters Do? They Underestimated Republicans, Again.

Florida

Montana

Nevada

North Dakota

Texas

Pop superstar Taylor Swift&#8217;s endorsement of a Democratic Senate candidate in Tennessee didn&#8217;t amount to much.
Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn was called as the winner just a few minutes after polls closed, easily defeating HER Democratic opponent, former Gov. Phil Bredesen.
Before the election, the 28-year-old singer &#8212; who had not previously weighed in on politics &#8212; said Blackburn had a voting record that &#8220;appalls and terrifies&#8221; her.
The move may not have been all that well thought out. Bredesen angered Democrats and rabid liberals by announcing that he would have supported Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s nomination for the Supreme Court, declaring that there was no evidence to support last-minute sexual assault allegations against him.
The hardcore left MoveOn immediately pulled its support after Bredesen&#8217;s announcement. &#8220;We&#8217;re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court,&#8221; MoveOn.org wrote on Twitter.
In a lengthy post on Instagram about a month before the election, Swift said she could not support Blackburn because of her record of voting against women and the LGBT community.
&#8220;Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. These are not MY Tennessee values. &#8230; I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent,&#8221; she wrote.
Just before Election Day, Swift pleaded with fans to vote, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m seeing a lot of underestimation of young voters and this new generation who now have the right to vote just in the last couple of years, but these are people who grew up post 9/11, they grew up with school shooting drills at their schools.&#8221;

SHOCKER: Even Taylor Swift Can’t Elect A Democrat In Tennessee

2018 Election

It&#8217;s election time, which means the Left is out in full force trying to tell us people are too stupid or lazy to figure out how to vote.
Some people may be too lazy, but Americans are not stupid, and can figure out how to follow the law in order to vote. But here comes Vice attempting to prove Voter ID laws disenfranchise voters, but the report&#8217;s author makes it clear he wanted to vote without following simple state laws.
Tennessee law requires someone wanting to vote to provide either state or federally issued photo identification. And by state, I mean &#8220;state of Tennessee,&#8221; in case that wasn&#8217;t clear, because it apparently wasn&#8217;t clear to Davis Winkie, who claimed recently in Vice that despite having a &#8220;valid driver&#8217;s license&#8221; a student ID card, a voter registration card, his birth certificate, utility bills, and a copy of his lease, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xjwmp/what-it-feels-like-to-be-disenfranchised-by-a-voter-id-law?utm_source=vicetwitterus">he wasn&#8217;t allowed to vote</a>.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I had my: 
&#8226; valid driver&#8217;s license 
&#8226; student ID 
&#8226; voter registration card 
&#8226; a copy of my birth certificate 
&#8226; my lease
and that still wasn&#8217;t enough. I couldn&#8217;t vote. <a href="https://t.co/GOUQlFWlRe">https://t.co/GOUQlFWlRe</a>
&#8212; VICE (@VICE) <a href="https://twitter.com/VICE/status/1058092210544148481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
Again, Tennessee requires a state or federally issued photo ID to vote. None of that other stuff matters, and these laws were passed in 2013 (a year before Winkie and his wife moved to the state) and are advertised heavily.
The state also lists what counts as valid ID: an up-to-date or even expired state driver&#8217;s license, a U.S. passport, or a military ID. Tennessee also provides a free Department of Safety and Homeland Security-issued photo ID at state DMVs.
Winkie had none of those things. He had a Georgia driver&#8217;s license and refused to change that or his residency to Tennessee until a month before the 2016 election. He <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/11/04/how-tennessees-voter-id-law-silenced-me/93283838/">wrote about his problem with voting back in 2016 as well</a>, and at the time said he and his wife &#8220;planned to maintain our voter registration and residency at my parents&#8217; home, our permanent address in Georgia, so I kept my Georgia driver&#8217;s license when moving to Tennessee. &#8230; we also continued to pay Georgia state income tax.&#8221;
So, he didn&#8217;t want to vote in Tennessee or even be a real resident until a month before the election. He and his wife only decided to &#8220;become residents of Tennessee&#8221; because his parents moved.
He claimed they registered to vote in Davidson County and received voter registration cards, but this was impossible, as my former Washington Examiner colleague Beckett Adams <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/vice-shocked-to-discover-student-id-and-a-copy-of-a-lease-dont-work-as-valid-voter-id-in-tennessee">wrote</a>. Tennessee didn&#8217;t implement an online voter registration system until 2017 &#8212; the year after the election Winkie wrote about.
Oh, and in an update to the original Vice article, Winkie &#8220;realized&#8221; that he registered to vote during a campus drive (he was attending Vanderbilt University at the time).
But Winkie wrote that he &#8220;felt&#8221; he had what was needed to prove he lived in Tennessee. &#8220;I had my valid Georgia driver&#8217;s license. I had my Vanderbilt University student ID. I even had my voter registration card, a couple of utility bills, my lease, and a copy of my birth certificate,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;I have doubts about the prevalence of in-person voting fraud and therefore the necessity of voter ID laws &#8212; but there are three reasonable components to test for: identity, citizenship, and residency, which I felt I was able to supply with everything I had with me.&#8221;
Yeah, that&#8217;s not how laws work.
As Adams pointed out, Winkie simply decided to become a resident of Tennessee without actually doing anything to become a resident.
&#8220;He didn&#8217;t register his vehicles in Tennessee and he didn&#8217;t apply for a driver&#8217;s license. He didn&#8217;t even apply for a free State-sponsored photo ID from one of Tennessee&#8217;s driver centers. The only effort he put into becoming a Tennesseean was when he supposedly registered online at the last possible moment to vote in the 2016 election. But even that is doubtful given it&#8217;d be another year before this was even an option for state residents,&#8221; Adams wrote. &#8220;Basically, he was a Georgian who decided suddenly he wanted to be a Tennessean and did nothing to make it happen. The Volunteer State didn&#8217;t accommodate his whims and he has been crying foul ever since.&#8221;
But yeah, voting is really hard.

Vice Writer Upset He Can’t Vote Without Following State Laws

Vice News

Voting Rights

Two new polls show Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn cementing her lead in her race for the Senate seat against Democrat former governor Phil Bredesen.
A new NBC/Marist poll, conducted between October 23 and October 27, shows Blackburn garnering 51% of likely voters, compared with 46% for Bredesen. Another poll, from <a href="https://poppolling.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TN-Statewide-Topline-Results-10.30.18.pdf">Vox Populi Polling</a>, conducted between October 27 and October 29, shows Blackburn grabbing 53% of the vote to Bredesen&#8217;s 47%.
As <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/10/30/marsha-blackburn-leads-phil-bredesen-two-new-polls-tennessee-us-senate-race/1822518002/">The Tennessean</a> points out, &#8220;Blackburn&#8217;s lead coincides with soaring popularity for President Donald Trump, who now has support of 56 percent of likely voters in the NBC/Marist poll, compared with 39 percent who don&#8217;t support his job performance. That&#8217;s compared with 47 percent who approved of the president and 43 percent who disagreed with him two months ago.&#8221;
Blackburn has reversed the candidates&#8217; status; an August NBC/Marist poll found Bredesen with a two-point lead; a Vox Populi poll conducted in September also showed Bredesen leading by 2 percentage points.
An NBC/Marist analysis stated, &#8220;The shift in Blackburn&#8217;s favor may be a dose of political reality for Bredesen in Tennessee, where President Donald Trump won by 26 points in 2016. The poll&#8217;s sample shows that 43 percent of likely voters identify as Republicans, while just 27 percent identify as Democrats.&#8221;
As The Tennessean notes, &#8220;Fifty-two percent of respondents in the NBC poll said they view Bredesen favorably compared with 39 percent who do not. That&#8217;s a 13-point difference between favorable and unfavorable marks, down from a 39-point spread in the previous poll. But in the Vox Populi poll, Blackburn now has higher favorability than Bredesen, 45 percent to 41 percent.&#8221;
Macy Cambio, Vox Populi Polling managing director, said, &#8220;In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn has rallied Republican voters to help solidify her base. With Phil Bredesen&#8217;s image now underwater and Blackburn opening up a seven-point lead, the chance of this seat flipping Democratic looks much slimmer than it did just one month ago.&#8221;
Over the weekend, Blackburn held a rally at which a moment of silence was held for the victims of the Pittsburgh massacre. Protesters disrupted the event, including one who cried out roughly two seconds into the moment of silence, &#8220;Marsha Blackburn is a white supremacist.&#8221; Five protesters were removed from the rally.
Blackburn released a <a href="https://twitter.com/VoteMarsha/status/1056670335322517504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1056670335322517504&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fangry-protesters-forcibly-removed-from-marsha-blackburn-lindsey-graham-rally">statement</a> later that read, &#8220;This Sunday afternoon, the liberal angry mob made it clear they are active in Tennessee and will stop at nothing to disrupt civil political discourse. I&#8217;m grateful to the law enforcement officers who were here today and kept everyone safe. The protestors at today&#8217;s event were absolutely appalling. They yelled &#8216;Impeach Trump.&#8217; They kicked. They punched. They resisted law enforcement, and they interrupted a moment of silence for the victims in Pittsburgh. Never in my life have I heard of people interrupting a moment of silence.&#8221;
Three polls taken on October showed Blackburn with a significant lead. A Fox News poll ending October 2 found Blackburn with a five-point lead; a CBS/YouGov poll ending October 5 gave her an eight-point lead, and a NY Times/Siena college poll ending October 11 gave her a fourteen-point lead. A Vanderbilt University poll ending on October 13 found Bredesen with a one-point lead.

New Polls Show Blackburn’s Lead Over Bredesen Looks Solid

Leftist protesters at a rally for Tennessee GOP senatorial candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn had to be removed from the event because of their disruption; one leftist woman even interrupted a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre on Saturday at a Pittsburgh synagogue, shouting, &#8220;Marsha Blackburn is a white supremacist.&#8221; Five protesters were removed from the rally.
Blackburn, before observing the moment of silence for the victims, stated, &#8220;Let&#8217;s take a moment and remember those who lost their lives in Pittsburgh and express our gratitude for the law enforcement who responded so beautifully. A moment of silence.&#8221; Not more than two seconds into the silence, the leftist hurled the insult at Blackburn. That prompted the crowd to start chanting, &#8220;USA! USA!&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
One woman was just removed after heckling Blackburn during a moment of silence for the Pittsburgh victims. At least five tossed so far.
&#8212; Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/HenryJGomez/status/1056640615562252289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Protester tussling w/police at Marsha Blackburn &amp; Lindsey Graham rally had to be wrestled to the ground and handcuffed in order to be removed. <a href="https://t.co/ACedW2xsUn">pic.twitter.com/ACedW2xsUn</a>
&#8212; Jason Donner (@jason_donner) <a href="https://twitter.com/jason_donner/status/1056648544688447489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
Among the protesters were reportedly members of the Black Lives Matter movement:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Black Lives Matter protesters were just forcibly removed from the <a href="https://twitter.com/VoteMarsha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VoteMarsha</a> rally in Nashville <a href="https://t.co/tDgETLkUhD">pic.twitter.com/tDgETLkUhD</a>
&#8212; Addy Baird(@addysue) <a href="https://twitter.com/addysue/status/1056639665665662976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
On Saturday, Blackburn had tweeted, &#8220;My heart breaks for the families who lost loved ones during the horrific events at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Thank you to law enforcement who acted quickly to apprehend the shooter. These anti-Semitic acts of evil have no place in society &amp; I am praying for all those affected.&#8221;
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who also appeared at the rally for Blackburn, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lindsey-graham-sees-cheers-protesters-at-blackburn-rally-in-tennessee">said</a>, &#8220;Judge me by my friends and the people that want to yell at me. The only people wanting to yell at me would turn the country into a mob. They don&#8217;t respect the presumption of innocence. They have a view of the government that would make us Venezuela. They have every right to their opinion; I guess they can yell and spit on you; I don&#8217;t think they have a right to do that by they exercised it that way. &#8230; It&#8217;s getting worse, because emotions are running high.&#8221;
After the rally, Blackburn released a <a href="https://twitter.com/VoteMarsha/status/1056670335322517504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1056670335322517504&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fangry-protesters-forcibly-removed-from-marsha-blackburn-lindsey-graham-rally">statement</a>: &#8220;This Sunday afternoon, the liberal angry mob made it clear they are active in Tennessee and will stop at nothing to disrupt civil political discourse. I&#8217;m grateful to the law enforcement officers who were here today and kept everyone safe. The protestors at today&#8217;s event were absolutely appalling. They yelled &#8216;Impeach Trump.&#8217; They kicked. They punched. They resisted law enforcement, and they interrupted a moment of silence for the victims in Pittsburgh. Never in my life have I heard of people interrupting a moment of silence.
On Saturday, at an East Ridge, Tennessee rally, Blackburn <a href="https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2018/oct/28/blackburn-revs-republicans-east-ridge-rally/481947/">reminded the crowd</a> that if Bredesen were elected Senate Minority Leader chuck Schumer could become the Senate Majority Leader. She urged the crowd, &#8220;But when that blue wave they keep talking about gets out here to the state line, it is going to meet the great red wall. I&#8217;ve got to tell you, I don&#8217;t think Tennesseans are going to be the state that turns the U.S. Senate over to the Democrats.&#8221;
Blackburn had been locked in a very close race with former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen, who served as governor from 2003 to 2011, between mid September and the beginning of October, as the two virtually <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/tn/tennessee_senate_blackburn_vs_bredesen-6308.html">matched each other</a> in the RCP average for two weeks. But starting in October, Blackburn has seemingly pulled away; three polls taken on October showed Blackburn with a significant lead. A Fox News poll ending October 2 found Blackburn with a five-point lead; a CBS/YouGov poll ending October 5 gave her an eight-point lead, and a NY Times/Siena college poll ending October 11 gave her a fourteen-point lead. But a Vanderbilt University poll ending on October 13 found Bredesen with a one-point lead.
Video of protester screaming at Blackburn during moment of silence below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vmkUfKB7VoI" width="560"></iframe></div>

WATCH: Leftist Protester Yells At Marsha Blackburn During Moment Of Silence for Pittsburgh Synagogue Victims

Murder

Pittsburgh

Taylor Swift may have some sway with her 107 million followers on Instagram, but when it comes to her power to sway politics, yeah, not so much.
The 28-year-old singer jumped into the political fray last week when she declared that she opposes Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
&#8220;Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. These are not MY Tennessee values,&#8221; Swift wrote on Instagram. &#8220;I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.&#8221;
Apparently, Swift has based her view mostly on LGBT rights. &#8220;I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.&#8221;
Turns out no one cares about what she thinks.
A new poll finds that pop star Taylor Swift&#8217;s endorsement of Phil Bredesen in Tennessee&#8217;s Senate race has done little to move the dial in the Democrat&#8217;s direction.
A poll by Republican polling firm <a href="http://www.cygn.al/cygnal-poll-tn-us-senate-taylor-swift/">Cygnal</a> finds that 86% of those surveyed have not changed their minds despite Swift&#8217;s endorsement of Democrat Phil Bredesen. And yes, they know about what Swift said: 82% said they&#8217;d heard the reports about her endorsement.
&#8220;Millennial and Gen Z voters are highly aware of the endorsement of the Democrat, but it did little to move their vote preference,&#8221; said Matt Hubbard, VP of Research &amp; Analytics at Cygnal. &#8220;Swift&#8217;s endorsement is providing a boost to get-out-the-vote efforts, but we&#8217;re seeing minimal impact on the race.&#8221;
One interesting finding in the poll: 5% said Swift swayed them to vote for the Democrat while 6% said she pushed them to switch to the Republican.
&#8220;Anytime a celebrity endorses a candidate or speaks publicly about their political views, there&#8217;s always a risk of alienating fans on the other side of the aisle,&#8221; said Brent Buchanan, Cygnal&#8217;s President and Founder. &#8220;In this case, Swift&#8217;s endorsement may lead to &#8216;Bad Blood&#8217; with her conservative fans.&#8221;
After Swift&#8217;s endorsement, Blackburn said it wouldn&#8217;t amount to much.
&#8220;Tennesseans are more interested in the fact that Marsha Blackburn is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, by the Fraternal Order of Police, by the Police Benevolent Association and by the National Rifle Association, where I have an &#8216;A&#8217; rating and their endorsement,&#8221; Blackburn said.
Swift also took some heat for endorsing Bredesen for the Senate seat because he angered Democrats and rabid liberals by announcing that he would have supported Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s nomination for the Supreme Court, declaring that there was no evidence to support last-minute sexual assault allegations against him.
The hardcore left MoveOn immediately pulled its support after Bredesen&#8217;s announcement. &#8220;We&#8217;re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court,&#8221; MoveOn.org wrote on Twitter.

POLL: Taylor Swift’s Democratic Endorsement In Tennessee Was Virtually Meaningless

Taylor Swift, the 28-year-old singer who dropped out of high school and later earned a GED, jumped into the political fray on Sunday, declaring that she opposes Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
While not surprising that a young person would lean liberal, Swift announced that she will back former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen for the Senate seat. Bredesen, though, recently angered Democrats and rabid liberals by announcing that he would have supported Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s nomination for the Supreme Court, declaring that there was no evidence to support last-minute sexual assault allegations against him.
The hardcore left MoveOn immediately pulled its support after Bredesen&#8217;s announcement. &#8220;We&#8217;re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court,&#8221; MoveOn.org wrote on Twitter.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We&#8217;re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court.
&#8212; MoveOn (@MoveOn) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoveOn/status/1048301380971241472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
We&#8217;re not sure if MoveOn will pull its endorsement of Swift&#8217;s music.
For his part, Bredesen happily accepted the support of one of the world&#8217;s most popular singers.
&#8220;Thank you for the kind words @taylorswift13. I&#8217;m honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done. We&#8217;re ready for it. Last day to register to vote is October 9,&#8221; he wrote.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
Thank you for the kind words <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@taylorswift13</a>. I&#8217;m honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done. We&#8217;re ready for it. Last day to register to vote is October 9. <a href="https://t.co/6Xd6YyaJCG">https://t.co/6Xd6YyaJCG</a> <a href="https://t.co/CatUBkXPKe">pic.twitter.com/CatUBkXPKe</a>
&#8212; Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilBredesen/status/1049092137944530944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Swift said she could not support Blackburn because of her record of voting against women and the LGBT community.
&#8220;Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. These are not MY Tennessee values. &#8230; I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent,&#8221; she wrote.
Swift also said she would not vote for someone &#8220;who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.&#8221;
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Twitter was all atwitter about Swift&#8217;s entrance into the political realm &#8212; and not all good, mind you.
&#8220;You just endorsed a Democrat in the Tennessee senate race with a ridiculous statement saying Marsha Blackburn, a woman, is against women,&#8221; author Charlie Kirk wrote. &#8220;You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about Your career has never recovered since Kanye ended it&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@taylorswift13</a> &#8211;
You just endorsed a Democrat in the Tennessee senate race with a ridiculous statement saying Marsha Blackburn, a woman, is against women
You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about
Your career has never recovered since Kanye ended it
&#8212; Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1049098893420634113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>

SHAKE IT OFF: Taylor Swift Gets Political — But Endorses Democrat Who SUPPORTED Kavanaugh

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez spoke to a small group of Democrats in Tennessee this week and seemed to lower their expectations for how the upcoming midterms elections would pan out, telling them not to give up if it &#8220;doesn&#8217;t work this time.&#8221;
&#8220;And you know what folks, I&#8217;d ask you one more thing; you know if it doesn&#8217;t work this time, I hope you&#8217;ll keep doing it,&#8221; Perez told the small gathering.
&#8220;I met a lot of folks who are now in the Virginia House of Delegates, one of whom lost by 52 votes the first time around, she immediately declared the next year and her opponent retired, he didn&#8217;t want to have a rematch,&#8221; Perez said. &#8220;So I hope you&#8217;ll be persistent because I hope you&#8217;ll all win now but I hope you&#8217;re all thinking about this as a long-term investment.&#8221;
Perez&#8217;s remarks come as two Tennessee Republicans &#8212; Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and businessman Bill Lee &#8212; are <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/15/poll-republicans-blackburn-lee-lead-tennessee/">leading</a> their Democratic counterparts in their races for U.S. Senate and the state&#8217;s governorship, respectively.
WATCH:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aYmLAyc5YUQ" width="560"></iframe></div>

WOMP, WOMP: DNC’s Tom Perez Prepares Democrats For Losses

Tom Perez

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), the same man who said disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/33004/unbelievable-dem-congressman-wants-give-disgraced-ashe-schow">deserved a Purple Heart</a> when Strzok testified before Congress, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/dep-rep-fire-wishing-blackburn-jump-bridge-obviously-humor/">said he was joking</a> last month when he stated he wished Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) would jump off a bridge.
Audio of Cohen making the remarks while speaking to a group of pastors at a prayer breakfast was retrieved by <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democratic-congressman-wants-gop-candidate-jump-off-a-bridge_us_5b6ca0dfe4b0bdd06207ace7">HuffPost</a>; it showed Cohen discussing the 2018 U.S. Senate race in Tennessee, in which Blackburn is running against former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D).
As Blackburn is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, who has publicly endorsed her, Cohen mocked her for being obsequious, asserting, &#8220;The big orange president &#8230; He&#8217;s going to come down here and he&#8217;s going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, &#8216;Jump off the Harahan Bridge,&#8217; she&#8217;ll jump off the Harahan Bridge. I wish he&#8217;d say that.&#8221;
As the audience laughed, Cohen added, &#8220;She will do anything he says.&#8221;
Cohen later reassured HuffPost that he was joking and did not wish Blackburn any ill, stating, &#8220;It was obviously humor. I wish her no harm. I hope she doesn&#8217;t get the Senate. And I wish she wasn&#8217;t a lackey for Trump. But I don&#8217;t wish her physical harm.&#8221;
As <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/08/09/steve-cohen-under-fire-wishing-marsha-blackburn-would-jump-off-memphis-bridge/953300002/">The Tennessean reported,</a> State GOP chairman Scott Golden responded, &#8220;At a time when our country is combating a mental health crisis, it&#8217;s shocking and, frankly, sickening to hear a Democratic congressman actively wishing for a Republican congressman&#8217;s suicide. The fact that these shameful and violent remarks came at a prayer breakfast make them that much more disappointing.&#8221;

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Tennessee

Tennessee Gov Allows ‘County Mayors’ To Make Mask Mandate Decisions

Nashville Prep School Ends Annual George Washington Celebration Because It’s Not ‘Relevant To The Way That We Teach History Today’

IT BEGINS: Republican Governors Announce Major Moves To Reopen Economy As Early As Friday

At Least 26 Dead After Storms Sweep South On Easter

Biden Continues March To Nomination, Winning Alabama and Tennessee

Tornado Rips Through Downtown Nashville Overnight, Killing At Least 21 People

Man Who Killed Child Rapist In Jail Scheduled To Be Executed Thursday

WATCH: Pro-Aborts Harass, Push Pro-Life Activists: Call Woman ‘Childless B****,’ Brag Cops Won’t Help Them

Stacey Abrams Says She Spent Days After Election Loss Plotting: ‘Revenge Can Be Very Cathartic’

Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s First Senate Bill Could Defund Planned Parenthood

Senate Seat At Risk: Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander Says He Won’t Run For Reelection

So How Did The Pollsters Do? They Underestimated Republicans, Again.

SHOCKER: Even Taylor Swift Can’t Elect A Democrat In Tennessee

Vice Writer Upset He Can’t Vote Without Following State Laws

New Polls Show Blackburn’s Lead Over Bredesen Looks Solid

WATCH: Leftist Protester Yells At Marsha Blackburn During Moment Of Silence for Pittsburgh Synagogue Victims

POLL: Taylor Swift’s Democratic Endorsement In Tennessee Was Virtually Meaningless

SHAKE IT OFF: Taylor Swift Gets Political — But Endorses Democrat Who SUPPORTED Kavanaugh

WOMP, WOMP: DNC’s Tom Perez Prepares Democrats For Losses

Democrat Rep. ‘Jokes’ About GOP Rep. Jumping Off A Bridge

Menu

Tennessee

Tennessee Gov Allows ‘County Mayors’ To Make Mask Mandate Decisions

Nashville Prep School Ends Annual George Washington Celebration Because It’s Not ‘Relevant To The Way That We Teach History Today’

IT BEGINS: Republican Governors Announce Major Moves To Reopen Economy As Early As Friday

At Least 26 Dead After Storms Sweep South On Easter

Biden Continues March To Nomination, Winning Alabama and Tennessee

Tornado Rips Through Downtown Nashville Overnight, Killing At Least 21 People

Man Who Killed Child Rapist In Jail Scheduled To Be Executed Thursday

WATCH: Pro-Aborts Harass, Push Pro-Life Activists: Call Woman ‘Childless B****,’ Brag Cops Won’t Help Them

Stacey Abrams Says She Spent Days After Election Loss Plotting: ‘Revenge Can Be Very Cathartic’

Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s First Senate Bill Could Defund Planned Parenthood

Senate Seat At Risk: Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander Says He Won’t Run For Reelection

So How Did The Pollsters Do? They Underestimated Republicans, Again.

SHOCKER: Even Taylor Swift Can’t Elect A Democrat In Tennessee

Vice Writer Upset He Can’t Vote Without Following State Laws

New Polls Show Blackburn’s Lead Over Bredesen Looks Solid

WATCH: Leftist Protester Yells At Marsha Blackburn During Moment Of Silence for Pittsburgh Synagogue Victims

POLL: Taylor Swift’s Democratic Endorsement In Tennessee Was Virtually Meaningless

SHAKE IT OFF: Taylor Swift Gets Political — But Endorses Democrat Who SUPPORTED Kavanaugh

WOMP, WOMP: DNC’s Tom Perez Prepares Democrats For Losses

Democrat Rep. ‘Jokes’ About GOP Rep. Jumping Off A Bridge

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