WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): We are now a week into early voting ahead of the Aug. 6 election. Turnout so far is higher than usual. With us to talk about the numbers and some of the candidates is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you Chris. Thank you for having me.
BLANK: Otis, what do you think is spurring better voter turnout this year? Not just here, but across the state?
SANFORD: Well, I think there are a couple of factors. One is there is not an incumbent. Plus, what the legislature did in redistricting the congressional seats is driving a lot more attention and interest. So I think those are the factors that are responsible for an increase in turnout.
BLANK: Usually by the time early voting starts there’s not much that would cause someone to pick a different candidate. Sen. Marsha Blackburn does have a 30 point lead over her Republican opponents in the governor’s race, but even Republicans have criticized her for not debating, for hiding from the media, and this week Nashville’s Channel 5 News reported that there may have been some pressure inside her campaign for her staff to break the law.
Again, this is their reporting. What might you expect from a Blackburn Administration if this is how her campaign is seen?
SANFORD: Based on what we are learning now and her actions during this campaign we can probably expect a lot more secrecy, lack of transparency, certainly a willingness to bend rules if not break them. In a Blackburn Administration we’re in for a very challenging time when it comes to openness and accountability, really.
BLANK: Do you think it’s souring her prospects, maybe, in the minds of of some Republican voters?
SANFORD: The fact that she’s not participating in any debates and doing very limited and sort of controlled interviews when she does them, where she obfuscates and does not really answer questions, I think that is a concern for voters and I think people are taking another look at some alternatives here on the Republican side. Yes, she still has a very sizable lead and she’s hoping to run out the clock here and she believes that if she can get past the primary because of the nature of Tennessee being a ruby red state she can win it in November without having to answer a lot of questions and face a lot of scrutiny. And I do believe that voters are taking another look to see if there’s an alternative.
BLANK: Well is there an alternative? Is there a Democratic alternative to Marsha Blackburn who also might be competitive in the general election?
SANFORD: I’m just not sure. Obviously, on the Democratic side you have Memphis the city councilwoman Jerri Green. She is touting the fact that she has lived in all three Grand Divisions of Tennessee, but I just don’t think that she has the name recognition. And I’m not sure that she has the financial wherewithal to mount a kind of campaign that would be needed to overtake someone like Blackburn with her vast experience and name recognition. So, it’s going to be very tough for a Democrat in a gubernatorial race.
BLANK: Let’s look at some of the congressional races. Half of Memphis now votes in District 5. Sitting congressman Andy Ogles does have a Republican challenger, a farmer named Charlie Hatcher. Why are Democrats keeping an eye on this race in particular?
SANFORD: Because this race is one that a lot of Democrats, and even some Republicans, acknowledge is winnable, especially if Ogles is the Republican nominee. He has so much political baggage. He’s been under investigation. He’s made some very improper comments. Some would even call them racist comments. The leading candidate on the Democratic side is Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, who has a very impressive campaign war chest. So that’s why Democrats are really looking at this race. They they see an opportunity here to pick this seat off and really upset what the Republicans tried to do with this gerrymandering.
BLANK: And, of course, in District 9 we’ve seen heavy campaigning by a couple of Democratic state lawmakers, London Lamar and Justin Pearson. The winner here will have to inspire a massive voter turnout locally if there’s any hope of keeping this seat for Democrats. Who has the strongest messaging here?
SANFORD: Well, I think both of them have strong messaging. London Lamar has a message of experience, being able to work across political lines. Justin Pearson has enthusiasm on his side. He has a lot of heavyweight endorsements from national Democrats. But you just said it: it’s going to take a massive turnout and, as we said at the beginning, the numbers for early voting even in the primary are high. It is going to have to be presidential election year numbers in the November election for Democrats to have a chance, but it’s doable. I think with a heavy, heavy turnout they can challenge the Republican, whoever that is.
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