Some good news today out of Tennessee courtesy of Mason-Dixon’s latest poll:
Democrat Phil Bredesen holds a three-point lead over Republican Marsha Blackburn in the race for U.S. Senate, a poll released today shows.
The April Mason-Dixon Tennessee poll shows Bredesen has 46 percent voter support statewide, while Blackburn comes in at 43 percent. Eleven percent are undecided.
The poll includes a sample of 625 registered Tennessee voters from across the state. Of those, 182 identified as Democrats, 238 as Republicans and 205 as independent. They were interviewed by phone over the course of three days in April.
Most of Bredesen's support comes from West and Middle Tennessee, with a 10 percent average lead over Blackburn. Blackburn leads in eastern parts of the state, which are traditionally more Republican, the poll shows.
Blackburn's support is stronger among men, white voters and Republicans, though 12 percent of Republicans showed support for Democrat Bredesen. Bredesen has more support among women, voters under the age of 50, black voters, Democrats and independents. Only 4 percent of Democrats said they would vote for Republican Blackburn.
Both candidates have relatively equal recognition, but Bredesen has an 8 percent higher favorability. This is despite Blackburn having received endorsements from both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter.
The fact that Bredesen gets a good amount of crossover support might explain why Republicans are furious with the outgoing U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R. TN) over this:
It’s a gift Democrats weren’t expecting but are delighted to get.
Republican Sen. Bob Corker’s laudatory observations about Democrat Phil Bredesen — and his less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Republican Marsha Blackburn — have handed state and national Democrats a ready-made soundbite as they try to win back Corker’s seat in this fall’s midterm elections.
In interviews, the Tennessee senator has been heaping praise on Bredesen, a former two-term governor, a former Nashville mayor and the likely Democratic nominee in the race to succeed Corker.
Corker, who decided not to seek a third term and will leave the Senate at the end of the year, called Bredesen “a very good mayor, a very good governor, a very good business person” and said he would not campaign against him in the fall.
Making matters worse for Republicans, Corker offered a tepid endorsement for Blackburn, the likely GOP nominee for his Senate seat, during a CNN interview on Sunday. The senator never uttered Blackburn’s name, calling her “the Republican nominee on our side.” Corker did note he had given the maximum campaign contribution and plans to vote “for this person.”
Let’s pull off another upset victory and win this race! Click here to donate and get involved with Bredesen’s campaign.