Bob Corlew, the former judge who is now running for the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, announced his campaign team Friday.
“When I made the decision to run for Congress, I set out to put together a marquee team of conservative professionals who have a record of winning elections in Tennessee and across the country. This team more than fits that bill,” Corlew said in a statement. “I feel confident that we are in a great position to be successful so that the people of Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District will have a Congressman who will work with President Trump and bring Christian Conservative Tennessee values to Congress.”
The team consists of many veteran Republican operatives, all of whom, the campaign notes, have a track record of success.
The team includes:
Pollster: Tony Fabrizio
Tony Fabrizio, a partner in Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, is widely recognized as an expert in public opinion and politics and one of the nation’s leading GOP pollsters and strategists. Fabrizio has served as the Chief Pollster on four Presidential campaigns, most notably and recently Donald Trump’s successful 2016 upset victory.
Senior Advisor: Darren Morris
Darren Morris served as President Trump’s 2016 State Director for Tennessee and as Chief of Staff for the state of Florida. Morris is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in successful political management and grassroots organization efforts across the United States.
Senior Advisor: Gregory Gleaves
Gregory Gleaves is the president of Direct Edge Campaigns and is the former Executive Director of the Tennessee Republican Party. Under his leadership at the TNGOP, the Governor’s office was flipped, the Congressional delegation changed from 5-4 Democrats to 7 -2 Republicans, and there was a 14-seat pick-up in the state house.
Senior Advisor: Penny Judd
Penny Judd brings almost two decades of leadership serving in roles at the federal, state, and local levels with appointments to The White House, Office of Management and Budget, and U.S. Department of Labor and most recently, led Community Relations at TVA. Judd graduated from Tennessee Tech University and also completed TVA’s Leadership Management Program from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
Campaign Manager: George Wass
George Wass brings extensive organizing and grassroots experience to the Corlew campaign as he served as State Operations Manager and Field Director for Americans for Prosperity in North Carolina.
General Consultant: Mark Braden
Mark Braden is a seasoned political operative with extensive experience in Tennessee politics who has served as the campaign manager for three U.S. Senators and worked in other senior-level positions with elected officials and leaders.
Media: Jonathan Poe
Jonathan Poe is a partner at Rising Tide Media Group and was named one of the country’s top 10 political operatives by POLITICO and was recognized by Charlie Cook as “one of the most talented operatives ever to work at a House or Senate Committee.”
Corlew is set to face off against fellow Republicans State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner John Rose, and former broadcast professional and business owner LaVern Vivo in the primary election August 2.
It’s a shame! You would think that this ‘ marquee team of conservative professionals. . . .” would have told Bob Corlew that John Rose is the candidate of the centrist/tepid conservative wing of the Republican Party who has been designated to run against Judd Matheny, who has been a conservative leader in the General Assembly for years. As a result, a Corlew campaign based on “. . .Christian conservative Tennessee values. . . .” will only succeed in splitting the conservative vote thus increasing the chance that Tennessee will send another centrist/tepid conservative to Congress in John Rose.
Under the circumstances there is no way for Bob Corlew to more dramatically show his devotion to “Christian conservative Tennessee values” than to withdraw his candidacy by the April 12th deadline and endorse Judd Matheny.
^I agree 100%^. I know another person who wanted to enter this race and I thought “w have a chance to get a conservative who can WIN – let’s not split the vote”.
Rose is self-funding tremendously aided by some Democrats and Haslam. Farm subsidies must be a serious future payout.