Five of the top six contenders for the next governor of Tennessee appeared to be practiced at their campaigning craft at a gubernatorial forum sponsored by the Times Free Press at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Monday night.
No gaffes were made, no bombshells thrown, no stunning revelations delivered.
That's almost too bad, as it might have made it easier for attendees and voters to separate four strong Republicans (U.S. Rep. Diane Black did not attend the debate) and two solid Democrats.
Instead, the crowd of 300 or so in the University Center's Tennessee Room got to hear - if they have followed the governor's race - much of what is known about the candidates vying to succeed term-limited Republican Bill Haslam: about Republican Randy Boyd starting his own company, about Republican Bill Lee being a fourth-generation farmer, about Republican Speaker of the House Beth Harwell balancing eight budgets, about Democrat Karl Dean being mayor of Nashville during the Great Recession and during a devastating flood, and about Democrat state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh decrying the state's refusal to expand Medicaid.
The candidates were unanimous in their support of the United States Supreme Court decision to allow states to collect sales taxes from internet vendors, split across party lines on allowing illegal immigrant children who were raised in the state to receive in-state tuition (Democrats were for it, Republicans against it), unanimous in the need for more student resource officers in public schools, split by parties on Medicaid expansion (Democrats for it, Republicans against it), unanimous in their need for prison reforms (before and after incarceration) and unanimous in their belief that rural areas need assistance (though "how" differed, variously, from broadband expansion to Medicaid expansion to workforce development, among other things).
President Trump rarely came up, though on a question about the impact on tariffs on Tennessee, Boyd acknowledged the president "is going to make decisions he thinks [are] best for the United States. As the governor, I have to represent the people of Tennessee."
He then explained how he'd met Tennesseans who would be affected on both sides of the issue.
"My job is to advocate for Tennessee," Boyd said. "I will go to the president and explain why this is bad for Tennessee. At the end of the day, he'll make a decision on what he thinks is best for America. My job is to make sure I fight for Tennesseans."
Other random observations:
' Fitzhugh appeared to be the forum's happy warrior. He arrived first and was among the last to leave. Harwell kidded him before the event about how much he loved such forums.
Fitzhugh acknowledged that he did enjoy them and hadn't missed one but added that they also were good exposure. After all, Dean, his main Democratic primary opponent, likely has more name recognition and more money.
"Try standing at these [forums] for 90 minutes in high heels," Harwell kidded her legislative colleague.
' Fitzhugh, during the forum, recalled the memory of the last Democrat governor of the Volunteer State from West Tennessee, Ned McWherter.
McWherter, he said, liked to say how all he needed was four vanilla wafers and a cup of coffee, and he'd be ready to go to work. Fitzhugh, a resident of Ripley, allowed that he'd need only two vanilla wafers and a cup of coffee to be ready for the job.
' Boyd appeared to be the most "handled" candidate. Members of his campaign team were curious before the event, among other things, how or whether crowd applause would be allowed, how candidates would be told how much time they had left to answer and when or if candidates would be seated.
' None of the five candidates appeared overly enthusiastic about diving into the decidedly mixed political crowd after the forum's conclusion. Lee, Fitzhugh and Dean spoke briefly to people in the event hall, but Boyd and Harwell left quickly.
Lee's backers may have had the best idea. They staged a mini rally, which had the looks of a college football game tailgate party, in an adjacent UTC parking lot after the event.
' Black, as has been her pattern, did not attend the forum. She said Sunday that she doesn't do forums with Democrats because she is centering her focus on the Republican primary.
She has done some but not all of the forums involving only Republicans, and she said Sunday there would be plenty of time to debate the Democrat who wins the Aug. 2 primary before the fall general election.
One of Black's Republican opponents Monday was not surprised at her absence. She's in the lead, the candidate said (though few polls have been done), so she doesn't feel she has to attend.
' Several protesters at the forum, said to be a part of a group called Chattanooga Supports Parkland Students, arrived well before most of the crowd. One wondered aloud "why they have us here so early." An observer, meanwhile, thought it was one of the most well behaved group of protesters he'd encountered.