Author and retired college professor Dr. Carol Swain endorsed U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) bid for governor this week, while criticizing U.S. Rep. John Rose’s (R-TN-06) campaign tactics and questioning whether State Rep. Monty Fritts’ (R-Kingston) policy proposals are constitutional.
Discussing the gubernatorial race on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Swain began by recalling how she first met Blackburn in 2008.
“I’ve known of Marsha for a long time, but when I first met her, it was in 2008, and I was randomly assigned on an airplane to sit beside her,” Swain said. “There were three times that I was randomly assigned to sit beside Marsha Blackburn.”
Swain said Blackburn introduced her to the Republican Party at a time when she had recently left the Democratic Party and was registered as an independent.
“She invited me to my first Republican event. John Rich was performing. And that sorta demystified Republicans, because I had been a Democrat,” Swain said. “When I met Marsha, I was an independent, but I had all those stereotypes in my mind about Republicans, and getting out among people who were Republicans quickly dispelled that.”
She added that the experience ultimately led her to join the Republican Party.
“I joined the Republican Party because I saw them as the party that shared my values as a new Christian, my values when it came to God, family, and country,” she said.
Swain said she has consistently supported Blackburn throughout her political career and expressed confidence in her candidacy for governor.
“I voted for Marsha, and I hope she wins,” Swain said.
While acknowledging she has not agreed with Blackburn on every issue, Swain said their relationship has given her confidence in the senator’s leadership.
“I’ve not always agreed with her. But I have a relationship that whenever I do question a vote that she’s made, I can pick up the phone, I can call her, she takes my phone calls, and she gives me an explanation that satisfies me,” Swain said. “I believe that there will never be a candidate that you agree with 100 percent of the time.”
She continued, “With Marsha, I trust her. I know she’s a hard worker. I know she loves Tennessee, and I’m excited about the fact that she is coming home to Tennessee, the state she loves, and I see her as the best qualified in the race.”
Swain also criticized campaign mailers distributed by Rose’s campaign, arguing they contain false claims about Blackburn.
“I’ve had a few people tell me that he’s been so positive, and I’m wondering, do they have mail? Because my mailbox is filled all the time with things like this,” Swain said while referencing a campaign mail piece. “It’s full of lies, and it’s paid for by the Rose campaign.”
She also suggested some of the criticism directed toward Blackburn is motivated by factors unrelated to policy.
“I don’t understand it. It seems to be a visceral kind of hatred. And I believe some of it is jealousy,” Swain said. “There may be people that are not prepared for a woman to lead the state of Tennessee.”
Swain pushed back against criticism of Blackburn based on her age and personal life.
“I got involved because I saw her being attacked because of her age, and I’m no spring chicken,” she said. “People saying she needs to come home and take care of her husband. She is coming home. Tennessee is her home, and her husband is well taken care of, and it’s none of your business.”
Turning to Fritts, Swain said she was impressed by his speaking ability when she first met him but questioned whether his campaign had focused sufficiently on governing.
“I was there, and he gave a sermon,” Swain said of Fritts’ speech at the Tennessee Republican Party Statesman’s Dinner. “I thought the sermon was pretty good. But there was nothing about how he would govern the state.”
She also raised concerns after reviewing some of his policy positions.
“Some of the positions that people like him for are positions that would be unconstitutional,” Swain said. “There’s no way that they would be constitutional in the state in some cases, and certainly under the U.S. Constitution.”
Swain said she is wary of candidates who emphasize religious rhetoric without providing detailed policy proposals.
“If someone is just pushing Christianity, I feel, to tell you the truth, I feel like God is not there to be pimped,” she said. “If you think that he’s gonna choose the person that does the most God talk, it doesn’t usually work that way.”
Discussing school choice, Swain voiced support for allowing parents to determine the best educational setting for their children.
“I support parental choice. Every parent should be able to decide whether their child should go to a private school, public school, or be home-schooled,” Swain said. “You should not take away choice, and I don’t see why anyone would want to be against school choice.”
In conclusion, with regard to the August 6 primary election, Swain warned that she believes Democrats could influence the outcome of the Republican primary by crossing over to vote given Tennessee’s open primaries.
“To me, the worst outcome would be the election of John Rose because I think he has Democrat support, and so Democrats will cross over and vote in the election, and they will knock out the real conservative who has a viable chance of winning and leading the state,” Swain said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Dr. Carol Swain” by Dr. Carol Swain and “Marsha Blackburn” is by Marsha Blackburn.
