Republican Incumbent Kicked Out

Just over the line in Tennessee's 1st congressional district, which includes Johnson City, a Republican moderate, Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe, defeated the one-term Republican incumbent David Davis in yesterday's primary. That's Roe on the left, Davis on the right, with the queasy shit-eating grin.

It was a close vote and an earthquake in the Tennessee Republican Party. According to the N&O, "Roe ran a TV ad accusing Davis of selling out to 'Big Oil' by accepting money from industry PACs and backing legislation supporting offshore drilling."

Wait! You mean a Republican won in east Tennessee by running AGAINST offshore drilling?! Hear that, Madam Foxx? Roe's platform emphasized "people not politics." Most interesting, because Foxx's challenger Roy Carter's platform is "People Above Politics."

According to the Johnson City Press, Davis had refused to debate Roe. Though both candidates live in Johnson City, Roe beat Davis in Washington County by 1,000 votes.