November ‘Blue Wave’ anticipated by 5th District Dems, Clemmons
Colleen Martinez, left with microphone, state house District 89 Democratic nominee, and Justin Davis, right, state house District 14 Democratic nominee, were among Knox County Democrats hearing from strong supporters of former Gov. Phil Bredesen, U.S. Senate Democratic nominee, during Fifth District Democrats’ monthly meeting, Thursday evening, Aug. 16, in Don Delfis Pancake House and Restaurant, 120 West End Ave. Brenda Gadd, Women United For Bredesen, spoke before state Rep John Ray Clemmons (D-District 55, which includes West Nashville) addressed the gathering as featured speaker.
As the district’s featured speaker last Thursday, Aug. 16, state Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-District 55/West Nashville) made that comparison — adding it would take just a nine-seat Democrat state house gain this November to begin “getting this state back on track.
“You feel the momentum, you feel the energy … you had to move to another venue that’s bigger to facilitate all the people, that doesn’t happen on its own,” he said. “You know it’s taken hard work to grow this group.”
With one-third of that potential nine-seat gain in attendance — Democrat nominees Justin Davis, District 14 (including Farragut), Colleen Martinez, District 89 (Hardin Valley) and former state Rep. Gloria Johnson, District 13 — Clemmons spelled out a path, if pulled off, “that changes the entire landscape of the state legislature overnight.
“Electing nine (new) Democrats across the state of Tennessee, including some right here in this county, is possible,” he added. “With nine more friends in the state house, if we can break that (Republican) super majority, we would have quorum power. We would have the ability to break that quorum with just Democrats.
“This isn’t some big, far-off dream or fantasy. This is something that is possible.”
Pointing out that former Gov. Phil Bredesen, as Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, and former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, as Democratic nominee for governor, are “at the top of the ticket,” Clemmons added, “This is a tremendous year of opportunity.”
