Leatherwood says he'll run for Blackburn's House seat (Tennessee GOP primary)

The Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | March 25, 2008 | Richard Locker

[Clintonfatigued]

Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood said today he will challenge U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in this year’s Republican primary for the 7th Congressional District seat she has held since 2002.

His entry gives Blackburn her first intra-party challenge since she won the congressional seat by defeating six opponents in the GOP primary of 2002, including three prominent Shelby County Republicans -- lawyer David Kustoff, state Sen. Mark Norris and Memphis City Council member Brent Taylor.

“Yes, I’m in (the race),” Leatherwood told The Commercial Appeal today. “This is something that began to brew with me maybe a year or so ago, out of the frustration with the Republicans in Congress, where we had it all -- a majority in the House, a majority in the Senate and the Presidency. And I think that opportunity to change the course of the country for good was squandered by the incumbents.

“And incumbent Blackburn was part of the problem. I think Republicans lost control of the House and Senate because they became self-serving rather than being public servants. And I think the record shows that.”

Leatherwood immediately raised as an issue of Blackburn’s practice of making payments out of her campaign fund to her son-in-law’s political fundraising firm for services rendered to her campaign.

“I think a primary issue is the funneling of over $120,000 in campaign and PAC (political action committee) funds to her family. This is out of line. Over $46,000 of that was in 2004 when she did not have any primary or general election opposition,” he said.

Leatherwood also attacked Blackburn’s travel paid by special interest groups. “Another aspect of her record that shows she’s self serving is the private-paid special interest flights that I think are unnecessary and should not be done.

[Clintonfatigued]

This shows every sign of turning into a mudslinging contest.

[Coldwater Creek]

Throw the bums out. Tom Leatherwood is a good man, and is not interested in only making a name for himself.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I think the real issue here is that Memphis Republicans feel they don’t have representation. The ludicrously gerrymandered 7th (designed to shove the bulk of the Republicans from Middle and West TN in one district) stretches from the Memphis suburbs clear up to wealthy GOP precincts in Nashville. The 7th needs to be chopped in half so East Memphis has their own member. I wouldn’t be too happy having my House member based 200 miles away from where I live, either (at least in an urban multi-member state).