• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

In Oak Ridge, Alexander, Haslam promote GOP accomplishments

Posted at 3:28 pm August 7, 2014
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Bill Haslam and Lamar Alexander

Governor Bill Haslam, left, and Senator Lamar Alexander touted the accomplishments of Republicans in Congress and Tennessee during a campaign stop at Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, one day before Thursday’s state and federal primary elections.

 

Governor Bill Haslam and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander campaigned in Oak Ridge on Wednesday as the two-term senator fought to prevail in the federal Republican primary in Tennessee on Thursday. The duo also promoted GOP accomplishments, both in Congress and in Tennessee.

Alexander is facing off against seven candidates for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats. Most of the attention has been focused on the race between Alexander and state Representative Joe Carr, a Republican Tea Party challenger from Lascassas in Rutherford County.

Alexander, who is also a former Tennessee governor, didn’t mention Carr by name during a stop at Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

Instead, he focused on accomplishments such as his vote to end “perpetual amnesty,” his “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, and the possibility that Republicans could gain a majority in the U.S. Senate. He also made some promises if Democrats lose control of the Senate.

“We’ll get rid of Harry Reid’s agenda,” said Alexander, referring to the current Senate majority leader, a Democrat. “We’ll get rid of ‘Obamacare.’”

Alexander, who identified himself as a conservative, is the last Senate incumbent facing a serious challenge from the right during this year’s primaries, according to CBS News. Senator Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, defeated a Tea Party challenger in his primary election on Tuesday. Attempts to unseat sitting senators also failed this year in Kentucky, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

Carr, who also campaigned in East Tennessee on Wednesday, has tried to cast Alexander, 74, as out of touch with the state’s increasingly conservative electorate, according to the Associated Press.

But during Thursday’s stop in Oak Ridge, when Alexander urged a sticker-wearing crowd of supporters at Dean’s to vote for him and Haslam, the incumbent touted the accomplishments of Republicans in Congress. They have delivered, and not just rested, on jobs, taxes, and education, the senator said.

Alexander said that re-electing him will send a message to President Obama. And there is still work to do on the national debt and health care, Alexander said.

“I can make a good conservative speech, but I don’t think I’m finished,” he said.

Alexander has spent the last few weeks of the campaign on a 35-stop bus tour around the state stressing his ability to get results in a divided Senate.

The senator, who has served since 2003, had a prop during Wednesday’s stop, a pages-long student financial aid form that he argued could be mostly reduced to a postcard-sized form with two key questions about income and family size.

“This is symptomatic of the problems in Washington,” Alexander said of the FAFSA form, which he held out at arms length and let unfold to the floor.

An internal poll conducted in late July and released by the senator’s campaign in response to questions showed Alexander had a 29-point lead over Carr, 53 percent to 24 percent. The next closest candidate was George Flinn, a Memphis radiologist and radio station owner, who had 5 percent of the vote on the seven-way ballot.

Alexander has also raised and spent much more than Carr.

Haslam also has competition in the primary on Thursday and in the general election in November, but none of the candidates are expected to seriously challenge the former Knoxville mayor. Still, the governor touted the accomplishments of Republicans in Tennessee during Wednesday’s campaign stop, saying they’ve cut taxes on groceries, eliminated the death tax, and are cutting the Halls tax on seniors. Tennessee has less debt per person than any other state, and the state reserves have doubled, the governor said.

Haslam and Alexander said today’s vote could turn out to be the largest Republican primary in Tennessee’s history.

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Federal, Government, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Associated Press, Bill Haslam, Congress, Dean's Restaurant and Bakery, general election, George Flinn, GOP, Harry Reid, Joe Carr, Lamar Alexander, Oak Ridge, Pat Roberts, President Obama, primary, Republican primary, Tea Party, Tennessee, U.S. Senate

Advertisements

 


Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Comments

  1. WK Hyatt says

    August 8, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    Can these two elected officials give Oak Ridge any help in getting DOE to increase PILT payments to Oak Ridge, Anderson and Roane Counties to allow us to compete with surrounding counties for industry, retail and residents by being able to lower our property and business taxes. Will they take on DOE?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Government News

Residents discuss Dollar General in Marlow

A handful of Anderson County residents have expressed mixed opinions in government meetings about a reported proposal to build a Dollar General store next to Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow, but the Anderson County … [Read More...]

Read city manager’s retirement letter

This is a copy of the January 17 retirement letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to the seven Oak Ridge City Council members. Since August of 2010, I have been proud to serve the City of Oak Ridge as its … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge Public Library

Library restrooms will be renovated

The restrooms at the Oak Ridge Public Library will be renovated starting February 1. The renovations are expected to be completed by June 1. The renovations will result in increased accessibility under Americans … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators resumes Monday

Breakfast with the Legislators begins this year on Monday. The monthly breakfasts are scheduled each year while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session. They are hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, … [Read More...]

Former AC Commissioner Hitchcock dies

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Harry "Whitey" Hitchcock, who represented part of Oak Ridge in three terms on Anderson County Commission, died January 10. A former teacher, he was 76. Hitchcock served on … [Read More...]

More Government

More 2014 Election News

Oak Ridge City Council November 2014

Gooch elected mayor, Smith mayor pro tem

  Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 25. New Oak Ridge City Council member Warren Gooch has been appointed mayor, and returning City Council member Ellen Smith has been elected mayor pro … [Read More...]

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Four City Council members say they’d like to be mayor

Note: This story was updated at 3:03 p.m. Four members of the new Oak Ridge City Council that starts Monday have announced that they would like to be mayor. One would like to also be considered for mayor pro … [Read More...]

Rick Chinn

Letter: Chinn wants to be mayor, help attract new families, industries

City Manager Mark Watson and honorable members of Oak Ridge City Council, First, I would like to congratulate the new members elected to Council and express my enthusiasm in working with the three sitting members of … [Read More...]

Ellen Smith

Letter: Smith seeks mayor, mayor pro tem spot; cites experience, knowledge

Fellow members of the Oak Ridge City Council: I respectfully request that you consider me as a candidate for the positions of mayor and mayor pro tem when the new Council convenes on Monday, November 24. This is in … [Read More...]

Warren L. Gooch

Letter: Gooch wants to be mayor, make city efficient, business-friendly

Dear City Council colleagues, I am submitting this letter to express my interest in being elected mayor. I believe our next mayor must provide bold leadership, vision, energy, and a commitment to excellence in our … [Read More...]

More 2014 Election

Recent Posts

  • Presentation: Laws & children of different sexual identities
  • CNC Bootcamp returns to Oak Ridge High School this spring
  • Roane State Dental Clinic offering free cleanings for kids
  • UCOR announces management change
  • Y-12 honored with DOE sustainability partnership award
  • Trapuzzano receives Eugene L. Joyce Achievement Award
  • Obituaries: Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2023
  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today