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Sohn: Bredesen is honest voice for U.S. Senate

Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen speaks at a summit on the opioid crisis put on in Nashville by Healthy Tennessee, in August. Bredesen said Friday that his first action in the U.S. Senate would be to file or co-sponsor legislation to repeal a 2016 law supported by his opponent Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and criticized for weakening federal authority to curb opioid distribution. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen speaks at a summit on the opioid crisis put on in Nashville by Healthy Tennessee, in August. Bredesen said Friday that his first action in the U.S. Senate would be to file or co-sponsor legislation to repeal a 2016 law supported by his opponent Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and criticized for weakening federal authority to curb opioid distribution. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen speaks at a summit on the opioid crisis put on in Nashville by Healthy Tennessee, in August. Bredesen said Friday that his first action in the U.S. Senate would be to file or co-sponsor legislation to repeal a 2016 law supported by his opponent Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and criticized for weakening federal authority to curb opioid distribution. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By Pam Sohn 4 min read

Phil Bredesen is the clear choice for Tennessee’s U.S. senate seat.

But his race is close. His opponent, U.S. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, is a Trump coattail chaser, and her relentless false campaigning shows her closing the lead that popular two-time Tennessee Gov. Bredesen had early in the race.

That could be a huge problem for this opioid-damaged state and nation, thanks to Blackburn’s insatiable penchant for corporate pharmaceutical favor.

A poll released last week found Blackburn, of Williamson County, with support from 54 percent of respondents to Bredesen’s 40 percent.

The Bredesen campaign counters that its recent internal polls show the race is still tight, with Blackburn leading 48 to 47 percent. A fundraising email sent Friday by the Senate Conservatives Fund, which supports Blackburn, also says she is up just 2 percentage points, making the race “too close to call.”