Great Turnouts at Local Political Party Events
February 2, 2010

Great Turnouts at Local Political Party Events

Deidre Ortiz, Staff Writer, Winchester Herald-Chronicle 

The Franklin County Republican and Democratic Parties recently held dinners giving the public an opportunity to meet, as well as hear from, their local and state candidates.

On Thursday, Jan. 28, the dining hall at the Franklin County Country Club was filled to capacity when approximately 150 local Republicans attended the Republican Party’s annual Reagan Day Dinner, and despite Friday’s bout of snow and ice, around 100 people braved the roads to come out to the Democratic Party’s Chili Supper on Saturday, Jan. 30.

With four congressional and two gubernatorial candidates present, the speaker line-up for the GOP was just as impressive as Iris Rudder, Republican Party vice-chair and coordinator of the Reagan Day Dinner, had previously claimed. The Republican candidates for Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District present were Atty. Jack Bailey, Dr. Scott DesJarlais, Kent Greenough and Ron Harwell. The gubernatorial candidates who spoke were Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Congressman Zach Wamp, and candidates Bill Gibbons and Bill Haslam, though unable to attend, also had someone to speak on their behalf. Former Congressman Van Hilleary acted as emcee for the evening, introducing each of these candidates.

Though the take on certain issues differ for each party, the issue both Democratic and Republican state candidates stressed most was the creation of jobs in the state of Tennessee.

"Jobs, we’ve got to create them and we’ve got to preserve them," Scott DesJarlais, congressional candidate, said Thursday.

Zach Wamp later backed the same ideas, stating the importance of the car industry in the state.

"Tennessee has to reclaim its manufacturing base, and that is the future of our state if we have strong leadership and government," he said.

A great way to get together and learn about the candidates, the Reagan Day Dinner and the Democratic Party Chili Supper were both successful in attendance, despite the long drives for candidates or inclement weather and treacherous roadways both local and statewide. More events will surely be prominent before the county primary in May and the general election in August, but these dinners offered the chance for people to gain some insight on both local and state candidates.