MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Just weeks ago, Tennessee’s Phil Bredesen was a bright light for a Democratic Party hoping to make inroads into conservative “Trump country” and secure a path to retake majority control of the U.S. Senate in November’s elections.
Polls showed Bredesen, the state’s 74-year-old former governor, in a surprisingly tight race with Republican U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn to replace retiring Republican Senator Bob Corker.
But momentum appears to have shifted against Bredesen in this closely-watched Senate battle despite the endorsement of pop star Taylor Swift and the rumblings of a Democratic wave. The Oct. 6 confirmation of President Donald Trump’s polarizing Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, injected new energy into Republicans, say Republican party leaders.
A New York Times Upshot/Siena College Poll last week showed Bredesen behind Blackburn by as many as 14 percentage points. That followed a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted Oct. 2-5 showing Bredesen trailing by eight points. – READ MORE