Black caucus wants Fitzhugh for governor
Members of the Tennessee legislature’s black caucus endorsed Craig Fitzhugh for governor Friday in Memphis, lauding the Ripley Democrat as the “people-first” candidate.
Fitzhugh, the state House minority leader, won the endorsement at a critical time for his campaign, which is gearing up for the Aug. 2 primary after getting a late start due to the delayed end of the legislative session.
His opponent in the primary is Karl Dean, a businessman and former Nashville mayor who has a significant fundraising advantage.
A majority but not all of the 17 members of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators voted to support Fitzhugh, said Rep. Antonio “2Shay” Parkinson, D-Memphis. Parkinson said the endorsement is a “big deal” because it shows support for Fitzhugh from across the state, in rural and in urban areas.
“Craig Fitzhugh is about people first,” Parkinson said. “People first — especially the underdogs. He is a fighter for those people that seem to not have their voices heard.”
Accepting the endorsement, Fitzhugh touted his voting record on education and health care reforms, and said the first thing he would do as governor would be to push the legislature to expand Medicaid, which could help reduce opioid abuse. Rather than economic development of businesses, he emphasized jobs and higher wages.
“Here’s what we don’t realize sometimes: We have more people working at the minimum wage per capita than any other state in the country. That is not good. That does not give those folks the ability to get part of that American dream. That’s just not what I believe.”
Dean’s campaign staff declined to comment, instead releasing its own list of endorsements, including one from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1733 in Memphis.
Parkinson announced the endorsement at Fitzhugh’s campaign office in Memphis flanked by fellow Democratic representatives Joe Towns and Barbara Cooper of Memphis, and Johnny Shaw of Bolivar; Memphis City Council member Joe Brown; and other Fitzhugh supporters, mostly from the Memphis area.
Asked if there was an issue that decided the caucus’ support, Towns replied, “That’s like asking me my favorite song.” The caucus members highlighted Fitzhugh’s record supporting education initiatives, including in Memphis, as well as his support for the removal of Confederate monuments and criminal justice reforms.
In what appeared to be a jab at Dean’s businessfriendly emphasis, Shaw broadly criticized a business-first approach to government that has “left out” citizens.
“Some people are running saying they want to run government like a business,” Shaw said. “Well, let me just tell you, you can’t do that because government is by the people and for the people.”
Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal. com or on Twitter at @ryanpoe.