NASHVILLE — Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester is asking the party’s 66-member executive committee to elect him to another two-year term, despite last week’s Democratic election losses.
In a formal announcement letter to executive committee members, Forrester said he thinks he deserves another term, citing large strides made in his commitment to rebuild the party “from the grass roots up.”
“More contacts were made, more doors knocked, more phone calls made and we had more robust fundraising at the party,” said Forrester, who previously told the Chattanooga Times Free Press he was strongly inclined to run again. “We made a difference!”
But despite that, Democrats suffered humiliating losses in Tennessee with Republicans winning the open governorship, taking three previously Democratic-held congressional seats and ousting 12 state House incumbents and winning two open seats.
Forrester attributes that to normal losses in midterm elections, a still-ailing economy and what he characterized as an “almost obscene” flow of GOP money from anonymous sources flowing into Tennessee.
Moreover, Forrester said, Democrats faced a “message challenge.” But he said the party under his direction has made major advances in training of county party officials, activists and others as well as putting fundraising on a more “solid” basis.
Forrester has his critics, including former state party Chairman Will T. Cheek. Meanwhile, Nashville attorney Dave Briley isn’t ruling out a challenge to Forrester.
Earlier Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen said that as the titular head of the state Democratic Party, “I’ll accept some of the responsibility for this,” although he immediately pointed out he doesn’t run the party on a day-to-day basis.
“This, I think it’s very clear, turned out to be a national election,” said Bredesen, who opposed Forrester’s election as party chairman two years ago. “I mean, there were people who were voted out of office in the state Legislature for whom there was no particular reason.”
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550.