There is an email from last week that a lot of political insiders are talking about, the author of the email refers to several former elected officials, several elected officials and party leaders.
One of those called out is former two term Knox County Commissioner Fifth District and former two term Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale.
Let’s list the names of Republicans that Ragsdale has supported in the past. Obviously, I am on the list, both as a successful candidate for School Board in 2000 and as a successful candidate for Chairman of Knox County Republican Party in 2005.
More of my thoughts about Republican Unity after the list.
GOP
Tony Aikens
Lamar Alexander
Brad Anders
Mike Arms
Victor Ashe
Ben Atchley
Phil Ballard
Richard Beeler
Richie Beeler
James Berrong
Justin Biggs
Marsha Blackburn
Randy Boyd
Richard Briggs
Jim Bryson
George Bush
David Collins
Bob Corker
Michelle Carringer
Scott Davis
Jimmy Duncan
John Griess
Glenn Jacobs
Dwight Kessel
Bill Haggerty
Mike Hammond
Bill Haslam
Betsy Henderson
Terry Hill
Van Hillary
Garrett Holt
Brian Hornback
Larsen Jay 2022 re-election
JJ Jones
Becky Duncan Massey
Rob Mathis
Joe May
John McClure
Kevin McClure
Illif McMahan
Randy McNally
Chip Miller
Richard Montgomery
Wanda Moody
Allen Morgan
Mike Moyers
Dan Murphy
Tony Norman
Bill Lee
Gina Oster
Crystal Ottinger
Alan Palmieri
Nick Pavlis
Mark Potts
Tim Scott
Cameron Sexton
Tom Spangler
Larry Stephens
Parkey Strader
Don Sundquist
Janet Testerman
Fred Thompson
Kevin Townsend
Zach Wamp
Kyle Ward
Larry Waters
JC Watts
John Whitehead
Sherry Witt
Jamie Woodson
The email talks about the perceived lack of unity in Republican Party politics. As Chairman in 2006, the TN Supreme Court ruled after the incumbents were qualified to be on the ballot that term limits passed in 1994 applied. Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison, two friends of mine that go back to 1990. They both are not alike on the same issues. As Chairman I asked them to be nice to one another until after the August 2006 General Election and they were.
In the 2006 Primary (after the Supreme Court decision) there were many write-in candidates. In the 2006 General Election, many challenger candidates formed an Orange Ballot slate of candidates (primarily Democrats with one or two Republicans)
As Chairman, all the incumbent races were re-elected. One Republican Orange ballot candidate, Greg Lambert for Commissioner in Powell won, it was an open seat. In today’s world Lumpy Lambert would be kicked out by some Republicans for being on the orange ballot with D’s.
So, while it’s nice for a native of another state to come here telling many of us that built the Super Majority from a Super Minority party about unity. Unity built this Super Majority party and We know Unity.
All the money that Ragsdale (others in future posts) have contributed to candidates pays for a-lot of campaign consulting, signs and ads for that matter.
The ones being attacked (for not being unified) are the very ones that built this Super Majority party.
As President Donald Trump attempts to put Tulsi Gabbard and Robert Kennedy, Jr. and maybe more in the next cabinet. The author of the email likely disagrees with our Super Majority Trump winner.
This may be a continuing series.
