VOLuntarilyConservative

Several Republican activists and media outlets turned out at Knoxville's Tyson McGhee Airport to meet with members of the Tennessee Republican Party leadership as part of a statewide fly-around campaign to remind people of the importance of voting in General Assembly elections tomorrow.

Members of the party included TN GOP Chairman Robin Smith, former National Committeeman Van Hilleary, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, and State Senators Bill Ketron and Jack Johnson.

Playing off the media coverage devoted to the race for the White House, Senator Norris stated that Tennessee was indeed a "battleground state," being that Republicans had a real chance to rest away control of the Tennessee House for the first time since Reconstruction. All speakers pointed to the local campaigns of Ken Yager and Mike Faulk as examples of races that could bolster Republican control of the State Senate and keep bad Democratic ideas like toll roads, raiding of the road fund, and keeping Tennesseans from selecting their appellate court judges at bay.

Media questions tended to focus on the McCain/Obama race and not on who controls the purse strings in Nashville, which is a shame. People need to understand the importance of what goes on in Legislative Plaza, and that was the purpose of the fly-around by these leaders today.

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, TN GOP