Tag: Rosalind Kurita

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Former Democratic state Sen. Rosalind Kurita, who staked her political future on supporting a Republican for speaker, now is being rejected by Republicans in her bid to become Tennessee’s secretary of state.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, whom then-Sen. Kurita helped elect as Senate speaker in 2007, confirmed Thursday that rank-and-file Republicans, as well as grass-roots activists, fiercely oppose Ms. Kurita’s election by lawmakers to the post.

“That’s true,” said Lt. Gov. Ramsey, who last week stated that Ms. Kurita, of Clarksville, would make a “great” secretary of state.

“Rosalind Kurita voted for me for lieutenant governor,” said Sen. Ramsey, who as Senate speaker also has the title of lieutenant governor. “I owed her at least a consideration there. That obviously is not going to happen, and I have no problem with that. Keep in mind I don’t appoint this position.”

by sidof79

After brief talk of his retirement after his current term expires, Lamar Alexander appears to be posed to defend his seat in 2008.  He was a surprisingly vocal opponent of The Surge, and yet still voted with the GOP when the time came.  He has hired Tom Ingram as his chief of staff, the same Tom Ingram who helped get Fred Thompson, Bob Corker, and Lamar himself get elected to the Senate (if you still think “flannel shirt” when you hear “Lamar Alexander,” that was Ingram’s idea).  Curiously, though, he has raised very little money at this point.  With all the talk about being a moderate, calling for bi-partisanship in the Senate, he remains a Bush rubberstamper (anti-gay marriage, pro-gun, pro-Bush tax cuts, pro-capital punishment, pro-life, anti-marijuana legalization, pro-social security privatization, pro-missile defense) and party loyalist.  So he needs to go.  Maybe they’ll talk him into another presidential run.  They’re asking pretty much everybody nowadays.  Here’s a look at his possible Democratic replacements.

http://bluesunbelt.c…

(Bumped. – promoted by James L.)

Do you remember Rosalind Kurita, a Tennessee State Senator from Clarksville?  Back in 2005, she challenged Harold Ford, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Sen. Bill Frist before dropping out due to anemic fundraising.  I seem to recall that one of the arguments in favor of her candidacy in a few pockets of the netroots was that she was somehow a more “progressive” choice than Ford.  Here’s that “progressivism” in action:

John Wilder’s three decades as lieutenant governor came to an end today – as did Democrats’ 140-year leadership over the Tennessee state Senate.

A last-minute switch by a Democratic senator from Clarksville allowed Wilder to be bested by his Republican rival, state Sen. Majority Leader Ron Ramsey.

An auctioneer from Blountville, Ramsey was elected Senate speaker and lieutenant governor around 12:45 p.m. today in an 18-15 vote.

Wilder had held the post since the early 1970s – but Ramsey defeated him after state Sen. Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville defected from her fellow Democrats and voted with the Republicans for Ramsey. (emphasis added)

The Senate exploded with applause at the last-minute switch.

To clarify the situation, in Tennessee, the Speaker of the Senate also serves as the state’s Lt. Governor.  While the Republicans have enjoyed a 17-16 majority in the TN Senate since 2004, Democrat John Wilder, an 85 year-old living legend, has been able to retain his job as Speaker by relying on the votes of several Republican members.  With those votes gone as a result of a Republican crackdown, and with Sen. Kurita ready and willing to stab her party in the back, Republicans have just claimed control of the State Senate for the first time in 140 years.

With that kind of party loyalty, thank goodness that she wasn’t the one to get a crack at a Senate seat last year.

UPDATE: In the comments below, Knox Dem JJ puts to rest the idea that Kurita’s defection was merely a moot vote:

Kurita’s vote did indeed matter, it’s that simple. Even though the vote was 18-15, she voted ahead of Republican Sen. Williams who broke ranks with Senate Republicans two years ago to help elect Sen. Wilder as Speaker of the Senate/Lt. Governor. When she voted ahead of Williams this year he realized even if he voted for Wilder again, Republican Sen. Ramsey would be elected so when his vote came up he voted to appease his party even though they have vowed to primary him. Sen. Speaker Wilder had said that Williams had told him face to face that he would support him again but with Kurita’s vote going republican William’s vote became moot.

(Hat-tip to Chris Bowers and MyDD’s Breaking Blue)