In the Governor's race, I will not vote for Marsha Blackman. I used to like her. I have voted for her in the past. However, in Trump's second term, she has gone out of her way to be a suck-up to Trump. I am less forgiving of Blackburn's Trump sycophant status than I am of some other Republican suck-ups. The reason I am less forgiving of Blackburn is that she knows better. Some people, like Andy Ogles, for instance, were never principled or very bright; Marsha was; she has no excuse.
A vote for John Rose in the Governor's race, was his to lose, and he has lost it. I did not know much about John Rose before the race started, but from what I did know, I was favorably impressed. As the leading opponent of Blackburn, I was inclined to vote for him. Then, however, the ads started, and he has tried to wrap himself in the Trump mantle. In almost every ad, he praises Trump and says things like, "Trump is a CEO, and I'm a CEO ...." The only way I would vote for Rose is if Trump endorses Blackburn. I like seeing Trump-endorsed candidates lose.
The other Republican candidate for governor is Monty Fritts. I would never ever consider voting for him under any circumstances. He is much to the right of other candidates on gun rights, opposes school choice, and advocates a ban on the practice of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or "other pagan religions" in the state of Tennessee. He has also said he would criminalize sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex. He opposes allowing rape victims access to the morning-after pill. He advocates the death penalty for women who get an abortion, and he has called for the execution of the parents of trans children who allow their child to undergo hormone therapy.
There are some other Republicans on the ballot, and I know nothing about them. I have voted for names on the ballot before, when knowing nothing about the candidate, but I am hesitant to do that; one could be voting for a Nazi or a serial killer.
I could vote in the Democratic primary. Despite being an exile from the Republican Party, I still think of myself as a Republican. The only times I have voted in a Democratic primary were in local elections in Nashville when the winner of the Democratic primary was going to win the seat. In most cases, Republicans did not even put forth candidates. I knew the people running and cared who was going to be the county clerk, the register of deeds, the trustee, the sheriff, etc. Now that I am no longer at home in the Party of Trump, I could be persuaded to vote for a Democrat, but Democrats do not stand a chance in Tennessee. A Democrat has not won a statewide office in Tennessee since 2006, when Gov. Phil Bredesen won reelection to a second term.
Six candidates have filed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, with Memphis Councilmember Jerri Green considered the frontrunner in that primary. I have not seen a single ad for Jerri Green and know little about her. From what little I do know, she seems to be pragmatic and is not a Democratic Socialist. I assume she will win the primary, and then I will take a closer look at Jerri Green and her opponent, which will most likely be Marsha Blackburn or John Rose.
I thought about just not voting. There is nothing wrong with simply not voting when there is no one to vote for, except that when a large number of people don't vote, it is interpreted as apathy rather than disgust. I vote every time the polls are open. I plan to vote, although I have no one to vote for.
So for now, I will vote in the Republican primary. I wish the ballot had a "none of the above" choice. I would vote for "none of the above." Since we do not have that choice, I plan to write in my own name. If you vote, I urge you to write in your own name, or your spouse's name, or your dad's, or your mother's name, or write in my name: Rod Williams.
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