Map of TN Governor's race 2002

[jiacinto]

Bredesen (D) was able to win a couple counties in E. TN. E TN has been Republican since the 1860s. What is unique about these counties?

[Philosophy]

1. The Knoxville area has become pretty cosmopolitan

It's a college town and lots of the graduates stay in the area. The power of rednecks and good ol' boys around here is in a decline.

[jiacinto]

2. Which County is Knoxville in?

And hasn't Knoxville's Congressman ALWAYS been a Republican. Wasn't E TN Heavily Republican even during the era of the "Solid South"?

[Jackson4Gore]

3. I am proud my county was one of the only

Dem voting counties in the southern part of the state along with President Gore's in the NE part of the state.

[Philosophy]

4. Knox

Yeah, our congressman is always Republican, but at least Democrats get elected to some local offices around here now.

[jiacinto]

5. Where is Knox County on that map

Thanks.

[goobergunch]

6. Knox County is the bright red county...

in the far east of the state, one over from the state border. It's in the 2nd District (John Duncan (R)), which has not elected a Democratic congressman since the Civil War.

[jiacinto]

7. I thought the his seat

had NEVER elected a Democrat at all.

[ButterflyBlood]

14. according to the county by county breakdown

Bredesen only won Knox by 43 votes

[jiacinto]

17. Ok

I wonder how he did it.

[TennesseeWalker]

25. The MONEY people in this state thought BREDESEN

would be a better governor than the pathetic Van Hilleary. Bredesen was mayor of Nashville, and really revitalized that town. He's also one of the wealthier Tennesseans, and the Bell Meade money people put the word out to elect him

Plus, the former governor, Don Sundquist, was a former Repug congressman who BROKE HIS WORD and actually PUSHED FOR a STATE INCOME TAX! HORRORS!!

The income tax was the death of a lot of good, principled politicians in this state. Our sales tax reliance sucks the life from the poor, but a bunch of right wing talk radio evildoers convinced all these people that it would rob them of their god given right to have money.

Bredesen is a great governor, and our state needed a competent manager due to the failure to institute an income tax. I think Phil is paring the state to the bone, and proving that government works. Then, if a tax is needed, the people will support it, and thus help themselves.

Phil is a guy to watch for the national scene. He is sure cleaning up some corruption in this state, especially with the roadbuilders.

[jiacinto]

28. Interesting

Do you see him ever running for president?

[Lars39]

29. Sundquist even went on record as NOT endorsing Hilleary.

I like Phil, although I know a few retired people in Nashville that are blaming him and the stadium on their property tax woes.

[jiacinto]

30. Explain

What about the stadium?

[Walt Starr]

8. I have to say, thanks Carlos

Your questions about various states and how they break down politically have helped me to know precisely where in this country I absolutely refuse to ever move to.

[jiacinto]

9. You're welcome

nt

[TheBigGuy]

10. Why is that?

his political questions are pretty good.

[Walt Starr]

27. His political questions are good

The information disseminated is even better. I see counties on these maps that are so Republican, I could never move there.

[jiacinto]

11. kick

nt

[lifelong_Dem]

12. Where do you get these maps, Carlos?

n/t

[ButterflyBlood]

13. www.uselectionatlas.org

[lifelong_Dem]

15. Thanks!

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Prag_Idealist]

18. This map is at first misleading.

The Red is Bredesen (D) and the blue is the Repub?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way I read it from the original site.

[ButterflyBlood]

19. it's true

probably because it traces elections back to the Democratic-Republican party, and used the red color for that.

[jiacinto]

20. Dems are red

ont this map

[Ouabache]

21. Historicallly, it is that way because

the eastern more mountainous area of Tennesee was not a slave holding area prior to the civil war. Maybe some slave-holding in the east, but nothing like the plantation areas in the south and western parts. Memphis, over in the west, was even a major slave trading area. During the civil war the eastern highlands was the area that actually had Union loyalties, and supplied some forces to the Union. Thus, that loyalty to the Union, Lincoln and the Republicans, has come down historically, and though not many political loyalties remain so blindly in place for so long, I think that has a lot to do with it still being a Republican stronghold today. So it's not necessarily a logical loyalty but a historical one to the region.

Tenneseans who know Tennesee history better than me---jump on in.

[jiacinto]

22. Ok

I want to know as much as I can.

[TennesseeWalker]

24. Pretty fair assessment.

This area WAS union-friendly during the War of Northern Aggression, but from the number of Confederate Flags down here, you'd never know it now. This is a really Scot-type clan area. Tightly knit families and TRADITION was king. If your daddy was a Republican, YOU became one. There used to be a lot of Democrats here, too, though..

You don't hear much from those of us on the left here because the churches are so tied into the Republican Party. A lot of fundie activism.

All good folks, though. Just don't vote their own self-interests due to mass hypnosis by the Reich.

[mlawson]

23. I lived in E TN for quite a while.

It seems to be a *tradition*, that one votes repub there (I did not, of course). Posts about the residuals from the Civil War are ture, I think, although I do not remember that war ever being discussed when I lived there. It is nothing that people there carry around in their daily concious thinking, that is.

But I must say, that there are a HUGE number of fundies there, and they are apparently *instructed* nowadays by their preachers to vote repuke. I saw this many times. Our departmental secretary was one of those so ordered; arguing with her afterwards was utterly futile.

[jiacinto]

26. This is what I heard

I heard that in many states the Christian Coalition has representatives at every church.