Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn losing in Tennessee
A new poll shows Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn trailing former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen by double digits in the 2018 Senate race.
The poor showing from Blackburn could flip a Republican-held seat in what is expected to be a Democratic wave year.
Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, is leading Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn by double digits going into the Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, according to a poll released Thursday.
The poll, conducted by Middle Tennessee State University, shows 45% of registered voters favor Bredesen, while just 35% would back Blackburn. In addition, 17% are undecided.
For registered independents, preference for Bredesen over Blackburn increases to 12 points. A fifth of Republican respondents would cross the aisle and vote for Bredesen, compared to just five percent of Democrats who would do so for Blackburn.
Blackburn's poor performance in the poll shows that Democrats are in striking distance to flip a long-held Republican Senate seat. When Corker last year abruptly decided to bow out of running for reelection, Blackburn quickly jumped in to take his place.
Blackburn is much more conservative than Corker, drawing the bulk of her support from the GOP base. Ken Blake, the director of the MTSU poll, told The Tennessean that Blackburn could run into trouble if she finds herself needing to soften some of her more conservative stances.
"If she ends up having to kind of attract some moderate Democrats or Republican leaning independents, it could be a challenge," he said.
http://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-senate-election-poll-marsha-blackburn-phil-bredesen-2018-4
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The state I was raised in and it would so do my heart good.
