 |
|
|
|
Bundlers raise big bucks for ’08 race Some candidates have hundreds; 97 raising funds in Tennessee By Tom Humphrey, KnoxNews.com NASHVILLE — Of the 97 Tennesseans listed as presidential campaign “bundlers” in a national roundup of major fundraisers, 59 are collecting money for Fred Thompson and 29 for Mitt Romney. Only two other candidates are listed as having Tennessee bundlers: John Edwards with eight and John McCain with one, Federal Express CEO Fred Smith of Memphis. The full report is available on the Web site www.whitehouseforsale.org, operated by Public Citizen, which bills itself as a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. Nationally, 2,339 bundlers are listed. Democrat Edwards leads in total bundlers with 543; Romney is the top Republican with 346. Thompson, an actor and lawyer who formerly served as a senator, had 132 bundlers nationwide, including 14 Washington lobbyists. Of the 59 Tennessee Thompson bundlers, at least a couple, David McMahan and Justin Wilson, have served as Nashville lobbyists. Eight are current or former members of the U.S. Congress — Sen. Lamar Alexander, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Bob Corker, Rep. David Davis, Rep. John J. “Jimmy” Duncan, former Sen. Bill Frist, former Rep. Van Hilleary (who also is a lobbyist) and Rep. Zach Wamp. There are two state legislators, Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville and Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville, former state GOP chairwoman and head of Thompson’s in-state fundraising team. Thompson has reported raising more than $2.6 million from Tennessee so far. The rest of Thompson’s Tennessee bundlers are, for the most part, businessmen and lawyers with a tradition of donating to Republican causes — for example, Knoxville’s James A. Haslam II, founder of Pilot Corp., and his son, James A. Haslam III, Pilot CEO. An exception is Ray Bell, the Nashville construction company executive who previously has been a more frequent donor to Democrats. Romney’s Tennessee list includes Ted Welch, a Nashville businessman who once served as national fundraising chairman for the Republican National Committee, and Brad Martin, who recently hosted a Memphis fundraiser for Alexander with President Bush. Edwards’ Tennessee bundlers mostly are lawyers in Nashville, where the former North Carolina senator once practiced law himself. They include veteran Democratic activist George Barrett and Tom Lee, who last year served as senior adviser to U.S. Senate candidate and former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. -- Thompson’s campaign has announced that Alexander, Corker and Wamp will serve as the candidate’s “Capitol Hill liaisons” in Washington, along with Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida. Alexander will have the title of overall “congressional liaison,” and Corker will be Senate liaison. Wamp and Putnam are “co-House liaisons,” according to the press release announcement. -- One of the more interesting, if inaccurate, rumors making the rounds in state political circles is that Sen. Bob Corker has talked with some folks about the possibility of becoming a candidate for governor in 2010. “I can tell you that Sen. Corker is loving the work that he is able to do in the Senate, and that’s just not a topic of conversation,” said Todd Womack, Corker’s chief of staff and former campaign manager, when asked about the reports. But is the senator ruling out the possibility or declaring that he just isn’t interested in becoming governor? “What he’s interested in is emerging himself in the issues. That is just not a topic of conversation,” said Womack. If elected governor in 2010, Corker would have to resign his Senate seat two years early to serve. The governor would then have the right to appoint a temporary successor as senator. By one scenario, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam would be at the top of the list for appointment to the Senate — if he agreed not to run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination against Corker. Haslam spokeswoman Margie Nichols scoffed at the notion of the mayor going along with such a deal. “It just doesn’t ring true,” she said. “It’s just not the mayor’s style. He doesn’t work that way.” Haslam, as with most other prospective candidates for a race three years away, has not said whether he will or will not make a run for governor. Other Republicans in that boat are Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis recently got attention by saying flatly that he would run — then retreating to say he was interested but focused on re-election to his House seat next year. Davis’ statements came after Ford sent word through an aide that Ford was interested in the 2010 race. -- Alexander’s campaign is circulating results from the senator’s pollsters that indicate he is a heavy favorite for re-election against Democrat Mike McWherter, who has formed an “exploratory” campaign for the office. Conducted Oct. 8-11, the survey of 600 registered voters by Ayres, McHenry & Associates showed Alexander with 60 percent versus 29 percent for McWherter, with 11 percent undecided. The poll also shows Alexander with a favorable rating by 60 percent versus 9 percent for McWherter. Alexander’s unfavorable rate was 19 percent; McWherter’s was 9 percent. State Democratic Chairman Gray Sasser said the results are not surprising, because Alexander “has been running for elective office since 1974” and voters “really aren’t focused yet.” “When they do focus, they’re going to see that Sen. Alexander’s record is really George W. Bush’s record,” Sasser said. “Voters are looking to make a change, and the Democratic nominee has a real shot in this race.” |
