Veto threat leads to surrender on GOP's U.S. Senate election bill [View all]
Source: The Commercial Appeal
NASHVILLE – The bill that would end popular primary elections for selecting Tennessee's U.S. Senate nominees was deferred to 2014 Tuesday afternoon, hours after Gov. Bill Haslam said he would probably veto it if it won legislative approval.
Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knoxville, told the House State Government Committee that he wanted to delay consideration of the Republican bill until next year and offered no explanation why. But that move came about three hours after the governor told reporters he's against the bill, which would end traditional primary elections for selecting the party nominees for the state's two U.S. senators and have the Republican and Democratic Caucuses of the state legislature choose the nominees. Voters would then choose from among the nominees and independent candidates in general elections.
“I have a major problem with that in this sense: that we’re going to take the selection of a United States senator out of the hands of the people of Tennessee and have a few folks decide who that should be. That just doesn’t feel right to me,” the governor said after a breakfast speech speech to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Asked if the bill could be a likely veto target if it wins legislative approval, Haslam replied: “I think it very strongly could be.”
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http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/apr/02/haslam-would-likely-veto-gop-bill-tennessee-legisl/
The Tea Party won't thrilled. If it was good enough in 1789...
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