Tennessee Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd appeared on WNWS Radio in Jackson, TN Thursday to talk about a variety of issues, including the need for more focus on West Tennessee economic development. Boyd is former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic Development and noted that he is a 7th generation Tennessean with 6th of those generations living in West Tennessee.
After pointing out several of the economic development projects he successfully helped bring to the area Boyd noted that the region is very important to him. “West Tennessee has been left behind the last twenty years,” Boyd said. “We need a Governor who will focus on it and I will be that Governor.”
“We are going to finish the Megasite,” Boyd promised, “land a big major manufacturer and several smaller manufacturers, and generate 34,000 forty jobs that will transform West Tennessee just like Middle Tennessee was transformed when Nissan landed there 34 years ago.”
Host Dan Reaves asked Boyd for his thoughts about Congresswoman Diane Black (who is also running for Governor) endorsing Marsha Blackburn in her Senate primary earlier this week.
“I’m not really thinking too much about what Diane Black is or isn’t doing,” Boyd said. “I think Marsha’s been a great Congresslady and I think she’ll be a great Senator. But I’ve got my own race to run so I’m not running around endorsing candidates in primaries.”
Boyd pointed out that “she has a primary opponent right there in Jackson and I don’t think it’s really necessary for me to get involved in endorsing people in primaries anywhere.”
The other two Republican candidates for Governor, Beth Harwell and Bill Lee, have not made any statements concerning whether or not they plan to join Black in endorsing Blackburn.
On Wednesday, Chris Walker, an advisor to the Bill Lee campaign, provided The Tennessee Star with this statement:
Bill has been a strong financial and personal supporter of Marsha since 2002, and he is proud of her conservative record in Congress as the representative for his home district. He is confident she will continue to be a conservative leader in the Senate and he will continue to support her.
Listen to the Boyd segment on WNWS:
I have always believed that in a Primary that the officers of a party or repressentatives, elected by the people as Diane Black is, should not endorse one candidate over another. Both candidates running in the Senate, to my knowledge are known Republicans and both deserve the same chance. Perhaps Diane thought by endorsing Marsha that she in turn would endorse her? Frankly Marsha is smarter than this! She would like to have the votes from all the Republicans as I am sure Dr Toyos would , not just the supporters of Diane Black! Once this word is out that Diane does not feel that she needs to abide by any of the “rules” of the Republican party and I guess she may feel that she has this Governor’s race won so it does not matter what she does. However, I respect the rules of the Republican Party and the Ethics Committee and feel that all candidates should. Ms. Black has underestimated Ms. Blackburn if she felf that this endorsement would get her the same. I am sure that any of Dr. Toyos’s people who were even considering Ms. Black have suddenly changed their minds! I would invited those people to take a look at issues and give their votes to either myself, Randy Boyd, Bill Lee or Beth Harwell. We each know that this is against the rules. Every County Chairman or State House and State Senate members also know that it is best to not publically endorse one candidate over another for Governor because they could be suddenly serving under one of those they did not endorse and their voice ignored!
lots of RINOs come out of WTn since the BlueDog Dems are history !
Amen John. They have been there for a long time and the things “done in Nashville, stays in Nashville” However with the internet, we have much more opportunity to expose the outrageous things that our State Government has allowed to go on1 Such as the over eight Billion dollars in Budget increases! The gas tax float which enriches the Haslam family between 30 to 40 million dollars yearly! Spread the word and keep the voices of Tennesseans going to the tune of “Enough is Enough” We want someone for the people!
The problem I have with Marsha Blackburn is that she is bought and paid for by the telecomm/cable lobby. Remember folks, she’s the one that introduced & backed legislation that allows ISPs to sell your personal information without your prior notice or concent. She sold every one of us out. Never forget that.
Talk about mealy-mouthed. Maybe Boyd should run for mayor of Memphis. The mega-site industrial park is a drain on state resources and needs to be shut down. Just a democrat in GOP clothing. Maybe he can get La Raza to fund his dreams.
It appears to me Boyd is focusing more on the Liberal West end of the state for votes because the east end of the state is too Conservative for him to count on votes.
Not a bad strategy for winning an election, providing he can keep his liberalism under cloak long enough to fool even the independent voters.
This opens up an interesting discussion. Aren’t all “republicans”, elected, yet to be elected, never want to be elected, equal? Doesn’t “picking” by incumbents and cadidates before voters choose, just create divisiveness between supposed team members. Republican incumbents and candidates should probably NOt be “picking” favorites in the primary. The real “enemy” are the Democrats, right? Isn’t the goal to get Republican elected officials who most closely follow the stated Republican platform?
Well, maybe not really! Maybe the goal is to get into power and then do everything and anything it takes to stay there!
I am not clear one what you are attempting to communicate and I take responsibility for my shortcoming. I believe that candidates should endorse other primary candidates. Running for office does not require one to abandon their principles and beliefs. I am not sure what Mr. Boyd believes in other than that he supports illegals as demonstrated by his support of La Raza. Oh, and he supports adoption of German female babies.