Letter to the Editor: Message, Media, Money, and Matheny

Judd Matheny

Dear Tennessee Star, It wasn’t until I heard an interview with the social research scientist Robert Epstein about the impact of Internet messages on political thought that I first grasped the complete gravity of this problem. Epstein’s conclusion was that moderate and conservative Republicans are the voter group most easily influenced by what they see in the media. Wow! Each time I witness political offices being bought like auction items instead of side by side comparisons, I remember the Marshall McLuhan axiom “the medium is the message.” Consequently, if you can afford to buy enough of the medium, you can own the result of the message. So what is the true message of a candidate for the US House of Representatives who once elected will earn a salary for 2 years at $175K, currently “loaning” their campaigns millions of dollars which they’ll earn back in after-win donations? And what common sense campaign finance law would permit a candidate to obtain a $500,000 loan at 3% simple interest from a local bank to finance such an operation? Such is the case in the TN 6th District House race. State Representative Judd Matheny is clearly the candidate most closely aligned with the…

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Congressional Candidate Judd Matheny Earns Another Big Endorsement – This Time, From the NRA

Judd Matheny

State Representative Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) earned another top-tier endorsement, this time from the National Rifle Association, in his campaign to win the Republican nomination in the Sixth Congressional District. Matheny faces former Judge Robert Corlew and businessman John Rose in the August 2 primary for the GOP nomination. The winner of that primary will be the favorite to win the general election contest to replace Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), who is running for governor. “Thank you to the NRA for all they do to preserve our Second Amendment and for recognizing my unwavering support for the same. I have never and will never compromise on our Constitutional rights. I am a known and proven quantity – by far the best man for the job!” Matheny said in a statement released by his campaign on Friday. The campaign notes the welcome endorsement comes “in the wake of his educational 10th Annual Machine Gun Shoot held for the public, law enforcement, military, and the General Assembly.” Matheny, the statement added, “is known for his steadfast conservative voting record in the state house, and says that every decision he makes is viewed through the lens of his core principles of protecting life, the…

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Anti-Trump Group Drops Mail Piece Against Bob Corlew in Tennessee 6th District

Nick Ryan

The American Future Fund, a 501(c)4 group that funded multiple attack ads against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election has filed information with the Federal Election Commission indicating that they have just spent $17,500 for a targeted direct mail piece against Republican conservative businessman and former Judge Bob Corlew.  Corlew is locked in a tight primary battle with businessman John Rose in the 6th Congressional District to fill the seat being vacated by Congresswoman Diane Black. Black is running for Governor. American Future Fund Political Action spends:$17,500.00 (details in image below) in opposition to Bob Corlew (R-TN-06); See TN-06 Total IE Spending: https://t.co/f9lGChfBIm ***IE Spending Leaders:***https://t.co/7HNRcwp3wz pic.twitter.com/3MltbNIOSa — Political MoneyLine (@pml_tray) July 11, 2018 In 2016 alone, the organization spent $6.7 million in attacks against Trump, describing him as a “fraud,” “a phony,” and a “B.S. artist.”  The group recently ran negative ads against South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a staunch and early Trump supporter. Trump appeared at a campaign rally for McMaster the night before his runoff election in South Carolina last month.  McMaster won the runoff and is expected to easily carry the state in November. The American Future Fund was founded by Nick Ryan in 2007 and is…

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Tennessee 6th Congressional District: Robert Corlew Hits John Rose for Supporting Huge Tennessee Gas Tax Increase

Bob Corlew

A massive gas tax increase that was part of the Haslam Administration’s IMPROVE Act, which raised fuel taxes over $300 million a year, is becoming an issue in the 6th District Republican Primary congressional race. Former judge and conservative businessman Bob Corlew is hitting fellow Republican contender John Rose for supporting the huge tax increase in a new digital ad that may soon find its way to broadcast and cable outlets in the district. According to a Corlew campaign spokesman, the ad was rejected by “Gas Station Television” because, as a representative at Gas Station Television told the campaign, “they didn’t want to run anything that would shine ‘a negative light on the gas space (or oil industry).’ So this ad never got to run on their air.” A transcript of the ad: “HEY! HEY YOU PUMPING GAS! DO YOU THINK YOU PAY TOO MUCH  AT THE PUMP? WELL, IF JOHN ROSE HAD HIS WAY YOU WOULD BE PAYING MORE EVERY TIME EVERY TIME YOU FILL UP. THAT’S RIGHT, JOHN ROSE SUPPORTED INCREASING FUEL TAXES BY 33%. JOHN ROSE SAID YOU PAYING MORE EVERY TIME YOU PUMP GAS ‘MAKES GOOD SENSE’. AND ‘I HOPE THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED.’ JOHN ROSE:…

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Bill Lee Wins GOP Gubernatorial Straw Poll in Robertson County

Bill Lee

Williamson County businessman Bill Lee won the gubernatorial straw poll at the Robertson County Republican Party’s annual Reagan Ranch dinner on Friday. Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) finished in second place, followed by Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd in third place and Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) in fourth place. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill served as master of ceremonies for the evening, which had about 200 people in attendance. Though straw polls at official Republican Party functions are not necessarily a predictor of voting behavior in primaries, they are a good indication of the local organizational skills of the contending candidates. The Lee campaign considered the straw poll win significant, coming as it does less than two months before the August 2 Republican primary in a county that Black represents in Congress. Robertson County Republican Party officials announced only the order of finish of the candidates in the straw poll, not their actual vote totals. One source who attended the event who was not affiliated with the Robertson County Republican Party or on the official program provided The Tennessee Star with they claimed was the unofficial but accurate vote tally from the gubernatorial straw poll. Those results…

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Dr. Mark Green’s Campaign for Congress Closes Out the First Quarter with Over $750,000 Cash-On-Hand

Mark Green FRC endorsement

In Federal Election Commission filings, congressional hopeful Dr. Mark Green reported his campaign to date has raised nearly $1.2 million, with a reported $769,000 cash-on-hand heading into the all-important second quarter of 2018. Since January 2018, the campaign reports it has received $467,949 in receipts through April 2018. “Camie and I are honored that more than 750 people have given to our campaign to bring conservative leadership to Washington. We are committed to running an aggressive grassroots campaign from now through election day, and these resources will enable us to do that,” Dr. Green said in a statement. The sole Republican in the race, Green’s campaign notes the candidate has “received broad support from the conservative movement both in Tennessee and nationally,” adding: He is endorsed by 100 grassroots conservative leaders in the state, 20 mayors in the district, and over 60 legislators serve on Green’s finance committee. National groups supporting Green include the Club for Growth, FRC Action, GOPAC, and the House Freedom Fund, and FreedomWorks. Green currently serves in the Tennessee State Senate, where he is currently working to pass several pieces of legislation including an anti-sanctuary cities measure to close certain loopholes in the current law, as…

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