NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee is in the national political spotlight with several presidential candidates visiting the state over the course of just a few weeks.
Republican candidates Donald Trump and Rick Santorum are scheduled to speak Saturday at the National Federation of Republican Assemblies Conference in Nashville.
This comes after Jeb Bush visited Brentwood for a fundraising reception, and attended the Southern Baptist Convention earlier this month. Texas Senator Ted Cruz spoke to supporters in Murfreesboro and Franklin two weeks ago. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker also attended a fundraiser for Franklin State Senator Jack Johnson in July.
Brent Leatherwood, Executive Director of the Tennessee Republican Party said the state’s early primary date is partially behind the increased number of visits.
“When they come to Tennessee, they get a strong Republican voting electorate,” said Leatherwood. “They get more bang for their buck with a number of media markets that touch other states. They get a higher return on their investment.”
Leatherwood said, at this point, there is no frontrunner.
“We probably mirror the national Republican electorate,” said Leatherwood. “We are up for grabs. No one candidate is grabbing all the votes just yet.”
The National Federation of Republican Assemblies Conference will be Aug. 28-30 at Rockettown in Nashville. The conference will complete a caucus to endorse one of the primary candidates in the Republican presidential race. For more information visit:http://www.republicanassemblies.org/
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley will attend a private fundraiser at a home in Nashville Aug. 27.
