A Tennessee congressional hopeful is bringing new theatrics to the trend of Democrats running away from the leadership of their own party.
In a letter delivered to Nancy Pelosi this morning, candidate Brett Carter will call on the House Speaker to pledge not to seek the Speakership next year, should Democrats retain the House.
“I am writing to request that you not seek the Speaker’s position during your next term and make your intention not to seek this leadership position public,” the letter reads.
Carter, who’s running to succeed Democrat Bart Gordon in Tennessee’s sixth district, is a long shot. His district leans conservative, particularly this year, and he’s been outspent by his rival, Diane Black, by a wide margin. That should explain a great deal about this letter.
According to his campaign, Pelosi’s unpopularity is a big part of what’s holding Carter back. A recent opinion article in the Daily News Journal — the largest paper in the district — made that very argument. “[F]or all of the skill, abilities and compelling life stories, there is still one seemingly unshakable albatross hanging around the neck of Brett Carter — Nancy Pelosi,” the article read. It helped convince the campaign to make a public break from the House Speaker. Carter cites the article in his letter.
Carter argues that the hollow campaign against him would crumble if his Republican opponent couldn’t tie him to Pelosi. “If you were to make this choice and not seek the Speaker’s role, this difficult climate would be vastly improved – and would nullify millions of dollars of strategic messaging designed by the NRCC to defeat Democrats,” Carter writes. “We would leave our opponents weaponless and disarmed…. I hope you will elect not to seek the Speakership in your next term and allow another Democratic leader
to step forward.”
You can read the entire letter here.
Late update: For a bit of context, the Rothenberg Political Report lists the TN-06 race as “Republican favored,” and it isn’t being funded by the Democratic party.
