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Herron wins gubernatorial straw poll at Sullivan Democratic rally

Published November 14th, 2009 | 1 Comments

Roy Herron, Jim Kyle and Ward Cammack, all Democratic candidates for Tennessee governor, talk with each other at the Sullivan County Democratic rally at Sullivan Central High School Saturday. Ned Jilton II photo.

BLOUNTVILLE — Being the first candidate at the Sullivan County Democratic Party’s “old fashioned political rally” on Saturday paid off for state Sen. Roy Herron of Dresden.

Herron easily won the event’s gubernatorial straw poll over state Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis, Nashville businessman Ward Cammack, former House Majority Leader Kim McMillan of Clarksville and Jackson businessman Mike McWherter.

All are seeking Tennessee’s 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination and hope to succeed term limited Democrat Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Herron got to the Central High School event long before Cammack and Kyle, and worked the sparse crowd although about 400 tickets had been sold.

“My problem is there’s a football game today,” Sullivan County Democratic Party Chairman Bill Jones said of the event’s conflict with a televised University of Tennessee football game kicking off at noon.

Herron had 85 votes, McWherter had 20 votes, Kyle had 12 votes, and Cammack and McMillan had 11 votes apiece. Twelve people were undecided.

Anyone who bought a $10 ticket could vote, and Herron bought 10 tickets, Jones said. Kyle said he wasn’t aware candidates could buy tickets until he got to the event. Neither McWherter, the son of former Gov. Ned McWherter, nor McMillan were at the event.

Cammack, who is viewed as the “green” or pro-environment candidate in the race, told Sullivan County Democrats he wants to make Tennessee the nation’s renewable energy leader.

“Tennessee has to go in a different direction,” Cammack said. “We buy our energy from other states. People say ‘Why is renewable energy so important?’ ... For every dollar we don’t send out of state and every dollar we save, that’s a dollar that goes right back into the Tennessee economy. That’s a dollar that gets spent over and over and over again in our state.”

Kyle, an attorney and the state Senate Democratic leader, noted Tennessee is a low-tax, low-wage state with a great road system and climate.

“Why isn’t Tennessee booming?” he asked. “Why is it when you leave this room and building that one person in 10 that you see will not have a job?”

What Tennessee doesn’t have, said Kyle, is a better educated workforce prepared for the world economy.

He suggested an outreach effort needs to be made to 36,000 Tennesseans who are within one year of having a college degree.

Kyle proposed to take $300 million in Tennessee Lottery reserves and create a scholarship program to help people finish their college degree.

“If only 10,000 ... took us up on this, we wouldn’t be 43rd (nationally) in educational attainment any more,” Kyle stressed.

Herron, whose Senate district includes high unemployment-strapped Perry County, said his top priorities as governor would be “jobs, jobs and jobs.”

He credited Bredesen with putting federal stimulus funds into Perry County.

“When people talk to you and criticize what’s being done in term of stimulus funds, you just remember the folks in Perry County,” said Herron, a former United Methodist minister. “At least some of that money gets to where it makes a difference in people’s lives, I’ll promise you that. Because it’s provided an incentive for private employers to hire people, and they have.”

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The most interesting story of the night goes unreported: ticket holders had to be present to vote and there were only about 60 people in attendance at the most. Yet Roy Herron was able to get 85 votes??? I am starting to see a pattern here.

John Austin | 11/15/2009 - 2:01 PM - ( Comment

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