Political commentator and media consultant Steve Gill told WKRN’s Chris Bundgaard on Tuesday that former Gov. Phil Bredesen is waiting to see who wins the hotly contested Alabama U.S. Senate race next Tuesday between liberal Democrat Doug Jones and conservative Republican Roy Moore.
“I think the impact on Tennessee is Phil Bredesen is waiting to see what happens in Alabama to determine whether or not to see if he gets into a Senate race in Tennessee,” Gill told Bundgaard.
You can watch the video of the WKRN interview here:
WKRN noted that a prominent Democrat disagrees:
House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Stewart disagrees, saying, “Governor Bredesen would be strong in Tennessee no matter what happens in Alabama. He would be a powerful candidate.”
Former Northern Alabama U.S. Attorney and Democrat Doug Jones is in a tight race with Republican and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.
“(Trump) still has huge approval ratings in the state, and you cannot be seen as anti-Trump or not Trump enough and win a Republican Primary in Tennessee,” Gill said.
“The issues are more important than the personalities, so if you have to–hold your nose and vote,” he concluded.
Bredesen has long been considered the Democrats great hope to take back the Republican seat in the United States Senate, currently occupied by the retiring Senator Bob Corker (R-TN).
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) is considered the favorite to win the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in August 2018, but former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN-08) is also in the race and is expected to have heavy establishment support.
The two-term former Mayor of Nashville and two-term former Governor of Tennessee has a strong record of business success, a personal fortune, high name recognition, and a good personal reputation among Republicans as well as Democrats in the state.
But the man who once dominated Tennessee politics is now 74 years old, and has not faced a competitive election since 2002, long before Twitter, Facebook, President Donald Trump, Breitbart News, and The Tennessee Star.
Should he enter the Senate race Bredesen can expect to see the same type of press coverage The Star has afforded to “Mayor Moonbeam” Megan Barry, State Rep. Barry “Boss” Doss, and Republican gubernatorial candidate “La Raza Randy” Boyd, something he did not encounter in his previous electoral contests.
Conseratives to Mr. Bredesen – You should save your time, energy and money and stay out of the race.