Well, I didn't see that coming....

I thought that the House 89 Democratic Primary would be a closely fought race, and either Jeanne Richardson or Kevin Gallagher could win.

It appears that the Democratic electorate believed that 32 years of female representation in Nashville was NOT enough, as Jeanne Richardson won a solid victory over Kevin Gallagher tonight, 693-373, to earn the Democratic nomination (tantamount to election) for the permanent seat.

Jeanne, who I have praised with good reason here, ran a solid campaign, worked extremely hard in the district, and earned the nomination to face Republican Dave Wicker, Jr.

I openly supported Gallagher, as I thought he deserved the seat; however, I have no problem endorsing Jeanne Richardson in the July 17 General Election, and I urge all in District 89 to vote for her then, and I know Kevin will do the same, he's already told me he will.

So, on we go to July! Congratulations to Jeanne on her victory tonight.

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The voters of District 89 are VERY fortunate.

UPDATE: Today is the day before the Special Election for District 89, and I thought this was the time to bring this back to the top.

Jeannie Richardson has been a Democratic stalwart for years, raising money and helping Democratic candidates all over the County. She has experience working in Nashville on behalf of mental health issues and would be a solid legislator. My understanding is that when the seat became open, she decided to sell her home in Harbor Town and move back into the district in which she once lived. I cannot, and will not say anything bad about her, because it's not possible.

So, why then I am asking you to vote for her opponent, Kevin Gallagher? Because as fine a legislator as she would be, I believe Kevin would be even better.

Kevin and his family have lived in this district for years and he has made a commitment to it. This is his blog where he discusses the issues that face District 89 and how he will respond to them.

He has spent most of his professional life in public service, having worked in county government, and currently consults others about campaigns. You may remember that he was the lead Campaign Manager for our Congressman, Steve Cohen. He, along with Field Director Liz Rincon, laid the groundwork for Cohen's hardfought victory.

In addition, he has served on the Center City Commission, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, and the board of the city's AAA minor-league franchise, the Memphis Redbirds.

He, as you know, intended to run for the Senate 30 seat that Congressman Cohen vacated. However, once then-Rep. Marrero got in, he re-thought his candidacy. although he withdrew after the deadline, he took great pains, along with the Marrero campaign, to endorse her, to let the district KNOW he was endorsing her, and supported her victorious campaign.

Kevin has done EVERYTHING we, and those who had promised him an open shot, have asked him to do, even after he made some mistakes that threatened his campaign. He corrected those errors, made it up to all of us who supported him then AND now, and he has busted his ass to win House 89. Kevin DESERVES this chance to be an outstanding representative for 89.

Kevin Gallagher is the right man in the right place at the right time, and if you reside in House District 89, I am asking you to vote for him in the Democratic Primary.

Cohen goes public in his support of Kevin Gallagher

Our Congressman has confirmed to the Flyer's Jackson Baker what the Freedonian and I had reported earlier, that he supports Kevin Gallagher, has contributed to his campaign and has urged others to do so.

Again, this has nothing to do with Jeannie Richardson, an outstanding Democrat and someone who would be a solid Representative for House 89; it's just that we believe that Kevin Gallagher would be the best choice of a great field of Democratic candidates.

Apparently, so does our Congressman, who knows first-hand Kevin's abilities to lead, having chosen him to run his successful run for the 9th District last year. As his record gives us every reason to do so, we support Steve Cohen's choice and follow his lead!

It looks like ONE District 89 voter has made his choice...

I would imagine that our Congressman, Steve Cohen, would have preferred NOT to take a public stance on this race, as he is friendly with both Jeannie Richardson and his Congressional campaign manager, Kevin Gallagher.

Freedonian, as usual, is on the case here with some background on this situation, which you can find HERE.

More on District 89

Jackson Baker, as good a friend to the local liberal bloggers as anyone could hope for, has written an article about us and how we have influenced local Democratic politics.

To which I can only reply, thank you, it would have been impossible without your support, and I am serious; he has been our champion, and for that we are ALL grateful.

He also writes about the race to succeed Beverly Marrero in District 89, as the winner of the Democratic Primary will win the general, because A) no one has heard of either Republican and B) the Goopers aren't going to waste good money on a district they have no hope of winning.

I am torn in this race. Dabney and Rick have gotten out front in support of Kevin Gallagher, as Wintermute has done the same for Jeannie Richardson. Full disclosure: I have given Kevin advice and talked to him about this race as to what I would do were I in his shoes, and I had also done that before Jeannie got in the race.

Truth be told, I think either of them would be a great rep. I have known Jeannie for years, and I was a champion for Kevin's former Senate campaign, which he gave up to help elect Beverly Marrero.

I will not bash either of them in this race; while I was disappointed with Kevin for a short time, I would be remiss if I failed to inform you that there are people who were far more upset with him, and they are back with him more solid than ever, and that's something to be said for Kevin. He took his lumps, made his amends, and is working harder than ever to live up to his promises.

I will tell you this much; there is one clear winner in this race, and it is District 89.

District 89's Democratic Primary is under way

and beginning to scare me.

First, Wintermute puts out a list of Jeannie Richardson's qualifications, listing everything but her blood type.

However, Kevin Gallagher, who has been running hard for that seat since Beverly Marrero's Senate victory, has TWO websites, one here and a blog on ISSUES here.

Ok, what the hell's going on here? ISSUES? Qualifications? What the hell does THIS have to do with Democratic politics? Damn liberals.

Oh, wait.....

OK, then.

Kevin Gallagher, as has been reported by Desi Franklin at WTL, has withdrawn as a candidate for the special election to fill the vacated seat of Congressman Steve Cohen in State Senate District 30. Early voting begins in the Democratic Primary on January 5, with Election Day for the Primary set for January 25.

I expressed my concerns early on about Beverly's campaigning, but with Kevin out, I will get behind her and support her. This is a situation that requires our attention, because Robert Spence's problems would kill our chances to keep this seat in Democratic hands. Freedonian has already documented that after just a few minutes on Google; what do you think the Goopers could dig up?

So, those of you of the liberal persuasion in Shelby County need to rally behind Beverly Marrero to ensure that we continue to have optimal representation in District 30. I know Kevin Gallagher will, and if you, like me, were supporting his candidacy, you need to get behind Beverly now.

Then, we will work on House 89!