Immediately after Congressman Marsha Blackburn won the primary for U.S. Senate, she and her Democratic opponent Phil Bredesen were invited to take part in four debates across the state. After a month of indecision, Blackburn announced that she would not face her opponent in Memphis at Rhodes College on Sept. 13.
Political analyst Otis Sanford says local voters should be outraged. "Tennessee is a very distinct state," he says. "We have three grand divisions and Memphis always seems to get left out of a lot of things."
Sanford says the move also speaks loudly about Blackburn's relationship with African American voters. "I don't think it's a stretch to say she has written off the African American vote."
Also this week, the Koch brothers' political arm, Americans for Prosperity, announced it will inject up to $2 million in ad funding for Blackburn's campain.
Sanford opines on that and more in this week's interview.
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