Hughes pushes conservative credentials in race against GOP foe Overbey

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | July 25, 2012 | Greg Johnson

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

State Sen. Doug Overbey, a Maryville lawyer, has pocketed a passel of endorsements in the 2nd District Republican primary. Newspapers, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Tennessee Education Association endorsed Overbey, along with Republican heavyweights Gov. Bill Haslam and, a bit surprisingly, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, a tea party favorite.

Given his opponent, Overbey needs all the help he can get.

Scott Hughes, chief financial officer for a Knoxville church and former pro-life executive, is challenging Overbey at every turn, in every way. Though Overbey maintains an enormous financial advantage, Hughes has loquaciously roughed up Overbey in debates.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

This state Senate race is one of the very few competitive primary races in Tennessee this year.

Doug Overbey seems to be a nice enough guy, and is reasonably responsive to his constituents, but he simply has not been conservative enough—especially on social issues—and has been a major disappointment on some key issues. He has been given a grade of “D” by the American Family Association.

Some of his positions have included voting against a bill protecting the rights of student religious groups to organize freely on college campuses. This was in the wake of Vanderbilt University requiring student religious groups to allow non-Christian students to be officers and leaders within their group even though they did not hold to the group’s religious views. The only Republican in the Senate who voted against the rights of student religious groups was Doug Overbey. Overbey also did not vote to support a ban on the teaching of homosexuality in elementary school classrooms. He was one of only two Republicans to do so.

I have a Scott Hughes sign in my yard and have contributed financially to the Scott Hughes campaign.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I’m not in his district (I’m in a VRA district in Nashville, so I’m effectively disenfranchised because I’m White and a Conservative), but I have to say Overbey is a liberal RINO embarrassment and needs to go. It’s unfortunate that Ramsey hasn’t come out against him, but he’s taking a John Wilder approach to endorsing every incumbent (at least every one wearing an “R”). However, I don’t think Ramsey would shed any tears if we sent an actual Conservative in place of Overbey.