By Susan Gingrich
Can a person not born with a silver spoon in their mouth or with acquired great wealth be elected governor in Tennessee in 2018? Someone whose primary concern really is the taxpayers and all the citizens of Tennessee. An honest, truthful, God fearing person who loves family first and fellow Tennesseans next. Someone who worries about the physical security of people living in our state more than the financial security of big business.
Could such a person be the conservative version of Bernie Sanders, generating a visceral and massive following from people fed up with Nashville and all the politicking as usual. Could the rightfully so, distrustful and cynical electorate believe, just one more time, that a candidate could make a difference in the lives of their families and in their small businesses? That a governor could actually be interested in what is really best for them, one who would share power with the people instead of concentrating on his legacy, raising money for the next election, and schmoozing with rich and powerful allies. An official who that once elected didn’t treat taxpayers as irrelevant and invisible.
Such an individual would not be the favorite of special interests who so heavily influence most people in public office. Like Bernie’s campaign, could the money for the candidate needed to compete for high office come primarily from small donors across the state who believe in this person with their hearts, minds, and checkbooks? By addressing not just the popular ones, but the right issues for Tennessee, ones that matter and are mostly ignored, could publicity via social media, conservative news outlets and even the state and national mainstream media advance this person and ideas into prominence as a candidate?
A candidate such as I described would be rare, but I do believe one or more lives in the great state of Tennessee. Someone whose guiding special interest is the welfare of Tennesseans. I met and heard one speak last week. Someone who wasn’t a smooth talker but a sincere one. His love for God, his family, and our state was evident, as well as his disdain for the amount of money which will be spent to buy, I mean win, the republican nomination for governor. I can only imagine and hope for such a candidate running for governor, generating excitement and grassroots efforts that sweep across our state to help win the nomination. The power of all the little people, hardworking taxpayers, and  people who have almost given up hope for a better future, uniting to elect someone we can believe in and trust. I am ready for this candidate, ready to help in the fight, and after all, with God all things are possible, even in Tennessee.
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Susan E Gingrich is a freelance writer and political activist residing in Loudon TN. She is the sister of former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.Â
We had that candidate that you’re talking about Susan, but now Mark Green is out of the picture. Mark could have raised a lot of money to run against the elitist millionaires. He would have gotten the majority of the votes because he is well respected throughout the state. I heard someone say the other day that there was a conniving plan orchestrated by the republican elitist in Tennessee to get Mark Green out of the picture. They did not want a staunch Christian conservative to be Governor. Someone high up urged Trump to nominate Green for Secretary of the Army to get him out of Tennessee so a well known multi-millionaire friend of Haslam could come forward and continue what Haslam could not finish because of term limits. This could very easily be what happened. So now, who will take Mark Green’s place?
I pray that Tim Burchett runs for Governor. He is my ideal/dream candidate. He is a PROVEN conservative, smart, common-sense, strong leader. People who have known him his entire life say that he is exactly the same person as he appears to be. He is not putting on an act to get your vote.
He has done a great job for Knox County and I think the characteristics that made him good for Knox County would make him a great Governor.
“…could the money for the candidate needed to compete for high office come primarily from small donors across the state who believe in this person with their hearts, minds, and checkbooks?”
You mean like Ron Paul in 2012? Tennessee Republicans would just manufacture a winner again like they did with Santorum who had zero delegates. Ron for some strange reason received 40% less popular votes than his delegates did. The TNGOP totally fabricated a slate of delegates (since not one single person in the state bothered to commit to Santorum) and dutifully voted unanimously for the pre-chosen Romney, despite over 70% of Tennesseans voting for someone else – including your brother.
This fantasy of working within the corrupt tax-and-spend Republican party is not going to happen. The Lord never told us to choose men to be kings. He did tell us what the results of that would be (1 Samuel 8) – and that is exactly what we have, regardless of the letter behind the name.