MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was bound to happen sooner or later, and now it has. The first casualty of the 2018 campaign for Tennessee governor has been identified and is calling it quits.
Former Tennessee Senator Mae Beavers announced on Tuesday that she is ending her gubernatorial run after her ultra- conservative campaign failed to catch on in Tennessee. Beavers becomes the first major candidate to exit the race.
The remaining top tier hopefuls on the Republican side for the time being are Congresswoman Diane Black, state House Speaker Beth Harwell and businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee. The main Democratic candidates are former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state lawmaker Craig Fitzhugh. Which means this all-important race is beginning to crystalize.
Beavers was easily the most hard line conservative in the race particularly on social issues and immigration. She struggled mightily to raise enough money to mount to a credible campaign even though she left the state legislature so she could do fund raising.
The message here is that although Tennessee remains largely a conservative state politically, it is not as extreme as Beavers and they let her know it in no uncertain terms by declining to invest in a campaign that would be nothing but divisive.
Whether any other candidate drops out before the August primaries remains to be seen, but the ones left form the makings of an exciting race.
