posted February 1, 2005
The TeamGOP Republican activist group said it is concerned that U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker is cozying up to Democrats.
The group said a significant portion of the more than $2 million raised already by the outgoing Chattanooga mayor came from Democrats.
TeamGOP said it is "questioning whether another Republican is being bought by power or position by Democrat power-brokers. TeamGOP has learned that many in the fundraising arm of Bob Corker's U.S. Senate Campaign are large donors and fundraisers for Democrats, in particularly Governor Phil Bredesen."
He said he was referring to a $1,000 a person fundraiser last month in Nashville for Bob Corker at the home of Ben and Joan Rechter.
TeamGOP said, "According to the records from the Tennessee Registry of Finance, a majority of the twenty 'Hosts' of the event donated over $83,000 to Governor Bredesen and Democrat candidates. The mantra being repeated is that if Democrats cannot have a Democrat Senator, Bob Corker is the next best thing."
Mr. Ward said, "Over the last several weeks, anger has been boiling within the Republican ranks because of elected Republicans selling their political souls to Democrats. It seems likely Mr. Corker's soon-to-be released campaign disclosure will create more troubling questions for rank-and-file Republicans.
"If he (Corker) has the entire Bredesen fundraising machine working full time, he should have $10 million in the bank instead of the $2 million he will supposedly report."
Mr. Ward said many Republicans "had taken issue with Mr. Corker having a meet and greet for then Mayor Bredesen at his home in Chattanooga during the 2002 election."
Also, he said, "Mr. Corker’s wife contributing to Democrat state legislators was another red flag. One of the main complaints we have heard recently is during the fall of 2004, while other potential senatorial candidates were out knocking on doors for the State House and State Senate and working to put Tennessee in President Bush’s column, Mr. Corker was out raising money for his own race two years out.”
Mr. Ward concluded, "Mr. Corker may be a good man, but perhaps not the best candidate to carry the Republican torch. Tennessee does not need to elect the candidate of the power-brokers or the Democrat establishment. Tennessee needs an honest conservative who will represent us all.”
TeamGOP is "a statewide grassroots Republican coalition dedicated to electing Republicans at every level of government and publishes a weekly E-newsletter with a circulation of nearly 11,000 and operates the political action committee, TeamGOP PAC. www.TeamGOP.org"
The Corker campaign has already raised $2,026,738.47, according to the initial financial disclosure of the Corker for Senate campaign.
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