Why Everyone Is Running for Governor of Tennessee

posted by Josh Goodman

It looks like the Tennessee governor's race is about to get wild. Here's what the Memphis Commercial Appeal said in an editorial:

Who knows whether former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist would be a good governor of Tennessee?

One potential benefit of his decision not to run for the office in 2010 is the likelihood of a competitive Republican primary.

Already in the GOP hunt are Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga, who are expected to be joined today by Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, later by state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville, and, possibly, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood.

Since they wrote that, Haslam has already jumped in. The potential Democratic contenders aren't declaring yet, but there's a big crop considering the race, as the Commercial Appeal pointed out in that same editorial:

With Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen prohibited from running for a third term, Democratic mentionables include former state House Majority Leader Kim McMillan of Clarksville, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis of Pall Mall, state Sen. Andy Berke of Chattanooga and former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Memphis.

Why are so many politicians thinking about running for governor in Tennessee? The answer is that there's not much else to run for.

Tennessee is one of three states where the only independently elected statewide official is the governor (the others are New Jersey and Hawaii). Tennessee has three other constitutional officers, the secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer, but, in a very peculiar system, all three are picked by the legislature.

The practical effect: Ambitious local officials or state legislators have nothing to run for except Congress or governor. And, honestly, who would really want to serve in Congress?

A Busy Week of Gubernatorial News

posted by Josh Goodman

Loyal Ballot Box readers will agree that I can get a little long-winded. In fact, I wrote 2,270 words previewing the 2009-2010 governor's races just a few weeks ago.

So, in the New Year's spirit of self-improvement, I'm going to challenge myself. We've had lots of gubernatorial news over the past week, but I'm going to limit myself to one sentence per state. No colons, semicolons, dashes or parentheticals (my favorite!) will be allowed. Can I do it?

In California, Meg Whitman moved toward a run for governor, setting up a showdown in the Republican primary between the former eBay chief executive and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, each of whom is thought to possess hundreds of millions of dollars.

In New Mexico, Bill Richardson announced he will withdraw his Commerce Secretary nomination and remain governor, depriving fellow Democrat Lt. Gov. Diane Denish the advantages of incumbency ahead of her 2010 campaign.

Bill Ritter's Curious Choice

posted by Josh Goodman

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's decision to appoint Michael Bennet, the superintendent of the Denver school system, to the U.S. Senate was met with a universal, "huh?"

Bennet has never run for elected office. Colorado Democrats have a deep bench of well-positioned candidates, including U.S. Rep. John Salazar (elected in a Republican-leaning district) and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (elected in a swing district). Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper would have started in the strongest position of all -- he would have been the favorite for governor in 2006 instead of Ritter had he decided to run.

So why did Ritter pick Bennet instead? Most likely, the explanation is that Ritter thought Bennet would make a smart, competent, thoughtful senator. But, if you're looking for a more cynical explanation, try this one: The Bennet selection is likely to make Ritter's 2010 reelection bid easier.

Terry McAuliffe: The $80 Million Man? (Updated)

posted by Josh Goodman

Why didn't someone think of this before? If you run a professional fundraiser for office, he's sure to have plenty of money.

That, despite questions about his electability, is why Terry McAuliffe is a strong candidate for governor of Virginia this year. Everyone knew that McAuliffe would be able to raise a lot of money. He is, after all, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who has been a key Democratic fundraiser for nearly 30 years.

But, the figure that popped up in the Washington Post this week still turned some heads:

Virginia is a state with no limits on how much an individual, corporation or union can donate to a candidate running for state office, and some say McAuliffe could wage an $80 million campaign -- triple what Kaine spent four years ago -- if he is the Democratic nominee.

Blagojevich's Survival Strategy

posted by Josh Goodman

Dan Conley has an interesting theory about how Rod Blagojevich may be trying to use the appointment of Roland Burris to stave off impeachment:

But second, and more important for Blagojevich's survival plans, he's chosen to play the race card. To anyone who thought that the election of Barack Obama would diminish the power of racial politics, today's press conference was depressing -- especially the appalling spectacle of Rep. Bobby Rush using the word "lynch" in reference to criticism of Burris, then Blagojevich repeating the phrase while wagging a finger at the press corp on the way out of the room.  For a Governor looking to rally support in the House and Senate to avoid impeachment or convinction, it's a smart move.  A combination of African American and Latino Senators could be sufficient to save Blagojevich from a conviction in the Illinois Senate.  It probably won't work, but Blagojevich has few options left.

Why Did Burris Accept Blagojevich's Offer?

posted by Josh Goodman

It's no mystery why Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would want to appoint Roland Burris to Illinois' vacant Senate seat.

By offering the job to an unobjectionable elder statesman, Blagojevich is saying, in effect, "See, I didn't sell the seat." This dovetails with the argument Blagojevich's lawyers are making to try to head off his impeachment. Their case is that everything on those tapes was just talk. Blagojevich, they argue, didn't do anything wrong.

The real mystery, though, is why Burris would accept the appointment. He's going to face a fight even to make it into the Senate. He's now associated with a governor whose approval ratings are in the single digits. And, because of that association, he's very unlikely to win a full term in the Senate when the seat is up in 2010. Who needs all that hassle?

Can Blagojevich's Appointment Be Blocked?

posted by Josh Goodman

Lots of people are mad that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, while under a cloud of scandal, would try to appoint Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate. But can they stop him from making the appointment?

The more I read, the more the answer appears to be no.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is refusing to certify the appointment. This sounds very important and some of the analysis I've read indicates that it is very important -- that if White doesn't certify then the appointment doesn't happen.

However, one person who doesn't believe that White has the power to block the appointment is White himself. From the Chicago Tribune:

Blagojevich: Burris is "good and honest man"

posted by Josh Goodman

If you just watched Rod Blagojevich's press conference to announce Roland Burris' appointment to the U.S. Senate, I'm sure you'll agree that it was a tad surreal.

Reporters were shouting questions not only at Burris, but also Blagojevich, who eventually felt he needed to step in and respond. Congressman Bobby Rush showed up in the crowd and then got up on the podium and spoke. All three -- Blagojevich, Burris and Rush -- were trying to keep the focus on what a great senator Burris would be, but struggled to avoid the topic of Blagojevich's legal troubles.

The remark from Blagojevich that really stood out was this one: "Please don't let the allegations against me taint this good and honest man."

This really is the argument that Blagojevich has to play up if this appointment has any chance of going forward. Why, he's asking, should Illinois be deprived of a perfectly good United States senator just because of the little matter of a criminal complaint against the governor?

Blagojevich Picks Burris for Senate

posted by Josh Goodman

In the Christmas spirit, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has given a gift to political junkies everywhere. Blagojevich has named an appointment to the U.S. Senate, despite being under investigation for trying to sell that very seat.

His pick is Roland Burris, a former state comptroller and attorney general. Here's bit more on Burris from a Chicago Tribune profile during his 2002 run for governor (no link available):

Throughout his more than 30-year career in Illinois politics, Burris has never been one for fiery oratory or uncompromising stands on emotional issues. Instead, in his third straight run for governor, Burris continues to project himself as a stable influence who deserves to culminate his public service in the governor's mansion.

His campaign's motto--"A name you know, a name you trust"--seeks to capitalize on the name recognition Burris amassed during three terms as state comptroller and one as attorney general. His rivals, Burris said, do not have "as much experience as I do inside the corporation of the state of Illinois."

The steady-as-she-goes approach, emphasizing competence over confrontation, worked for years. But Burris, 64, has stalled on the last rung up his career ladder. In 1994 and 1998, he led in early polls but finished second in Democratic primaries for governor.

As in 1994 and 1998, Burris lost the 2002 primary for governor. The man who beat him? Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich's strategy here appears to be to appoint someone who is as unobjectionable as possible to the Senate seat. But Harry Reid and other Senate Democrats still are likely to object.

Rendell Admits to Booing Santa Claus

posted by Josh Goodman

I was in a restaurant in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport yesterday when who should appear on ESPN but Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. State government: You can't escape it.

The segment was about the infamous incident when Philadelphia Eagles fans booed a man in a Santa Claus costume at a game in 1968. Rendell was there and, in the segment, he confessed to booing Santa. However, Rendell also said that he refrained from throwing snow balls at Santa, unlike many of his fellow fans in the stands that day.

Love him or hate him, Rendell is a genuine Philadelphian and a genuine Philadelphia sports fan.