by Jackson Baker
n the wake of
the latest withdrawal by perennial prospect U.S. Rep. Bob Clement
from consideration as a gubernatorial candidate next year, various Democrats
statewide seemed to be moving toward a draft of Bill Purcell, former
majority leader of the state House of Representatives, as a gubernatorial
candidate.
Several Democrats meanwhile were attempting to stave off what they see as a rush to consensus. One such was Bill Owen of Knoxville, a member of the Democrats' state executive committee, who said that other potential candidates should be considered as a potential opponent for the incumbent Republican Governor Don Sundquist -- notably State Senator Roy Herron of Dresden.
Others
have talked up former U.S. Senator Jim Sasser, the current Ambassador
to China, who will be returning to the United States this week for conferences
on China's pending Most Favored Nation status and will reportedly take the
time also to discuss a potential gubernatorial race with longtime supporters.
"There seems to be a move in certain quarters to anoint Purcell. It's just too early for us even to be thinking of putting all our eggs in one basket," Owen said.
Such was not the conviction, however, of state Democratic chairman Houston Gordon, considered by a number of Democrats contacted to be behind a push to consolidate around Purcell, state co-chairman of last year's Clinton-Gore campaign and currently director of a non-profit institute at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Gordon insisted that he had not picked a candidate, but said, "I do believe that we need to achieve a consensus as soon as possible. We need to avoid a bloody primary battle like the one we had in 1994."
Clement's withdrawal, announced last week, left the field of likely Democrats somewhat truncated. Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen, Sundquist's unsuccessful 1994 foe, has lately indicated little enthusiasm for another go at the governorship, and Nashville businessman Clayton McWhorter has aroused minimal enthusiasm.
Both Sasser and Herron, however, are rated potentially strong contenders should they decide to contest the issue in a primary next year.
* Gordon has come under increased criticism of late -- most of it under the table -- from other Democrats who feel that the chairman is working too hard at dictating outcomes in statewide Democratic affairs.
Recently Gordon insisted on pushing a particular candidate for the presidency of an East Tennessee Democratic Women's Club, one Betty Jones, and got some flak for it. "Maybe I won't do that again, and I sure got criticized for it, but I was determined that she [Jones] get proper consideration," Gordon said.
The chairman acknowledged that his intervention probably chased off other potential aspirants for the women's club post.
Most recently, Gordon was the target of resentment from a number of Tennessee Young Democrats, who felt that he tried to arrange the election of Nashville's Ginger Hausser as the organization's new president at the YD convention in Nashville two weeks ago.
Gordon emphatically denies doing so, and a transcript of his videotaped remarks at the convention seem to substantiate his contention that he did not, as indicated in this space last week (on the basis of numerous claims from YD members) explicitly endorse Hausser.
But various principals of the YDs disagree, including the outgoing and incoming presidents of the organization. "It was obvious to everybody there that the state office was behind her election," contended Jason Scott of Parsons, the 1996-97 YD president. He was seconded by Memphis' Joseph Kyles, who was elected YD president over Hausser by a scant vote-and-a-half margin at the convention.
"Let's put it this way. There were a lot of things at the convention we were troubled by. We need to sit down with the chairman and work out better communication in the future," said Kyles, who said that Hausser and various of her cadres were actively claiming support from Gordon.
Gordon was attending an Association of State Democratic Chairs meeting in Keystone, Colorado and was unable to attend the YD conclave, which began on the evening of Friday, June 13th. What he said on the tape, after expressing his regrets about being absent, was this: "I want to especially thank the Davidson County Young Democrats and Ginger Hausser for all the work they have done in organizing your convention this year." The rest of his remarks were standard political boilerplate.
Asked this week why he cited Hausser, a known aspirant for the YD presidency and no one else, including the other hopefuls and then current president Scott, Gordon said he had been under the impression that Hausser was president of the Davidson County YDs and said he wanted to commend "her hard work" in helping organize the Nashville convention.
Hausser
did not hold the office of president at the time of the convention, though
she was secretary of the state party organization. She said that as "social
chairman" for the Davidson County YDs, she took a major role in shaping
the convention "more or less by default."
On the convention's opening night, Hausser provided introductions for dignitaries present as well as for Gordon's video -- which she acknowledged having solicited. "I had asked him to attend, but, since he couldn't, I thought a videotape would be the next best thing," she said.
She denied contentions by Scott and Kyles that she publicly boasted support from Gordon.
"All I said was that I could work with the chairman and with Congressman Clement and Congressman [Bart] Gordon and others," Hausser said.
One of Hausser's main supporters at the convention was Jamie Huskey, the paid finance director of the state party. "I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it," Gordon said, when asked whether it was appropriate for an employee of his office to take such an active role in a YD election.
Kyles, something of a surprise winner of the YD presidency, said he also wanted to be sure that Chairman Gordon did not attempt to close off consideration of gubernatorial candidates.
"We believe the party should try to stay neutral in matters the rank and file should decide. There's been too much of a tendency at the state party level to try to dictate to us. And these issues need to be addressed as soon as possible. We'd like to meet with Houston and try to clear the air," said Kyles, who mentioned, besides Herron, state House Speaker Pro Temp Lois DeBerry as a potential gubernatorial candidate.
* Among local politicians who held fund-raisers last week were State Reps. John DeBerry, a Democrat, and Tre Hargett, a Republican.
The big surprise at DeBerry's event, held at the French Quarters Inn, was the presence of several well-known Republicans, including GOP chairman David Kustoff, former city councilman Andy Alissandratos, and District Attorney General Bill Gibbons.
Hargett's affair, held at the home of Germantown alderman Gary Pruitt, netted an amount in the vicinity of $3200.