Durham’s halted bid isn’t the only campaign in hot water
NASHVILLE — The subject of a state attorney general’s sexual harassment investigation isn’t the only Republican candidate facing uncertain prospects in Tennessee’s Aug. 4 primary.
Rep. Jeremy Durham suspended his re-election campaign despite his claims that most of the allegations that the Franklin Republican had improper sexual interactions with 22 women were false or taken out of context.
Even though he is no longer hitting the trail in support of his bid for a third term, his name remains on the ballot in his Williamson County district where his name recognition is likely higher than ever. But Durham has so far rebuffed calls from legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle to resign.
Other Republican races drawing interest this primary season include:
HOUSE DISTRICT 95
Longtime Rep. Curry Todd of Collierville has twice been filmed removing an opponent’s yard signs. The retired Memphis police officer who pleaded guilty after a 2011 arrest for drunken driving with a loaded handgun in his car has said he had permission from property owners to remove the signs. But one opponent, fair and carnival operator Mark Lovell, said the recordings make Todd look like a “little bandit.” Todd spent more than $102,000 on the race in July alone, while none of his trio of little-known opponents came into the month with more than about $5,600 on hand.
HOUSE DISTRICT 18
Incumbent Rep. Martin Daniel of Knoxville has been charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with an on-air dispute with former Rep. Steve Hall, the man he defeated in the primary two years ago. Daniel, Hall and two other candidates were participating in a forum on WOKIFM when they got into a heated exchange that resulted in Daniel shoving Hall, according to the former lawmaker’s report to police. Daniel’s attorney expressed surprise at the charges because his client had made an apology that he said was “both heartfelt and sincere.”
HOUSE DISTRICT 61
House Finance Chairman Charles Sargent of Franklin is facing a rematch with businessman Steve Gawrys, whom the incumbent defeated by just 256 votes in 2014. The Tennessee Firearms Association has been supporting Sargent’s ouster over claims he worked behind the scenes against gun legislation. Sargent, who has disputed those allegations and been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, has been one of the heaviest spenders of the final weeks of the campaign with nearly $111,000 in expenditures in July alone.
SENATE DISTRICT 2
Sen. Doug Overbey of Maryville is spending heavily in his campaign to remain in the Senate after being a vocal proponent of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s failed Insure Tennessee proposal to extend health care coverage to 280,000 low-income people. The state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the group led by billionaire conservative brothers Charles and David Koch, has singled out Overbey for supporting what it calls “Obamacare expansion.”