Grand Divisions: A Politics Podcast

Williamson County businessman Bill Lee and former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean will square off Tuesday at the University of Memphis for the first of three gubernatorial debates. This week, we will discuss the state of the governor's race with Republican strategist Tom Ingram, who has run numerous successful statewide campaigns, and prominent Democrat fundraiser Charles Robert Bone, a Nashville attorney and former mayoral candidate. 

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen squared off Tuesday in a fiery debate at Cumberland University. In between barbs against one another, the candidates answered a host of questions, ranging from how to address the ongoing opioid epidemic to their views on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. We'll recap the highlights and lowlights from the first debate and whether either candidate came out a clear winner. 

We discuss what to expect from both Bredesen and Blackburn, strategies each candidate may try to deploy and the impact of national news on the event. Plus, President Donald Trump comes back to Tennessee, allegations a gubernatorial candidate is ducking events and scrutinizing whether Bredesen or Blackburn can legally hunt in Tennessee. 

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican nominee in the race, joins the podcast to share her views on Russia, North Korea, Iran, presidential war powers and much more. We also share a few policy stances from the campaign of Democratic nominee Phil Bredesen. Plus, a look at a big new poll in the race, scrutiny over both candidates' personal properties, another debate that wasn't and a sneak peek of coverage coming soon from the Tennessean politics team. 

National political analyst Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, also gives us a run down on what needs to happen for Republicans or Democrats to be successful in the gubernatorial and Senate races. Joel Ebert tracks Blackburn and Bredesen on the campaign trial, highlight the political strategies driving their campaigns. Plus, a look at a proposed new tax plan from Karl Dean, where the gubernatorial candidates differ on gun policy and an update on a bizarre Google ad blitz. 

Can a political outsider run government like a business, or will that lack of experience prove too much to be effective? Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee wants Tennesseans to trust his vision, while Democratic candidate Karl Dean hopes his track record will sway voters.Sarah Treul, an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joined the podcast to discuss the history of the political outsider. Plus, we discuss upcoming debates and dive into the weird world of online political advertisements. 00:49 - Reporter Brett Kelman on a recent opioid forum06:33 - Interview with Sarah Treul about political outsiders.23:08 - Fake News in Tennessee and introducing Natalie Allison to the politics team

More than 3,000 Tennesseans died from overdoses in the last two years. That figure does not include the tens of thousands of non-fatal overdoses in the state in the last decade. Williamson County reporter Elaina Sauber discusses a recent interview she had with the parents of a man who died from his addiction last year. We also talk with Dr. Manny Sethi, an orthopedic trauma surgeon in Nashville and president of non-profit Healthy Tennessee, about the genesis of the epidemic, what proposals are working and what more politicians can do to help communities. Plus, we hear from both U.S. Senate candidates on their attempts to show they are not always tied to their respective parties, take a look at new ads and discuss possible future debates.------02:58 - Excerpts from U.S. Senate candidates Phil Bredesen and Marsha Blackburn from a business forum at Lipscomb University08:30 - Interview with Williamson County reporter Elaina Sauber 13:48 - Interview with Nashville orthopedic trauma surgeon Dr. Manny Sethi

Tennessee just executed its first inmate in nearly a decade. There are two more executions this year; one is scheduled for after the state elects a new governor. Will the return of the death penalty in Tennessee affect either race? Could either candidate, after his election, work with the state legislature to change death penalty laws? Christopher Slobogin, director of Vanderbilt Law School’s criminal justice program, joins the podcast to discuss policy questions and political realities surrounding the death penalty. 

Over the weekend the vanquished Tennessee Republican gubernatorial candidates tried to grit their teeth and show support for Bill Lee, but didn't stick around long enough to answer media questions. At the same time, Democrat Karl Dean and his supporters must find answers for how they'll defeat an outsider with no political records. Both Lee and Dean join us on the podcast this week. Plus, we take a look at how each campaign could win, how Diane Black and Randy Boyd lost, and where the Senate campaign goes now that it's time for the General Election. ---00:10 - Intro02:26 - Interview with Bill Lee05:01 - Interview with Karl Dean11:51 - Interview with Tennessean Metro reporter Joey Garrison24:05 - Interview with Governor Haslam

Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert analyze and discuss the results of Thursday's primary election. Republican Bill Lee and Democrat Karl Dean will face off to be Tennessee's next governor, while Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen will look to replace Bob Corker in the Senate.Vanderbilt professor John Geer stops by to break down what the results mean as attention turns to the general election on Nov. 6.

Tennessee GOP gubernatorial candidates have a matter of hours to convince undecided voters they should be the next leader of the state.  Can any candidate pull ahead in the final days? Is Bill Lee's apparent surge — and the struggles of the previous GOP frontrunners —- for real? On this week's episode, we examine the final chapter of the gubernatorial campaign with voices from the right and the left; Michael Sullivan, executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party; Kalee Kreider, former advisor and communications director for Vice President Al Gore and current leader of her own consulting firm, Kreider Strategies.Plus, a look at final pre-primary campaign finance numbers, the impact of Vice President Mike Pence wading into the race and final predictions ahead of polls closing Thursday night. -----00:10 - Introduction04:07 - Conversation with Jordan Buie about an old lawsuit against Bill Lee07:13 - Interview with Michael Sullivan and Kalee Kreider29:59 - Fact and Fact Check31:27 - Conversation with David

This week, Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert sit down with Gov. Bill Haslam, to talk about everything from his successes as governor, to regrets he has and mistakes he's made. They also discuss what his successor will have to do once this year's election is finished.------00:10 - Introduction01:35 - Haslam Interview, Part I19:59 - Face and Fact Check22:19 - Halsam Interview, Part II35:22 - Final thoughts and the week ahead------Haslam weighs clemency for death row offenders: https://tnne.ws/2A1pVmoHaslam: At some point ahead, Tennessee can 'come out ahead' in expanding Medicaid: https://tnne.ws/2mFyvh6New poll: Bill Lee leads in TN's Republican campaign for governor: https://tnne.ws/2LHYIq0Early voting remains on the rise, still room for many last-minute decisions: https://tnne.ws/2LJfoNW

Why can't any of the four main Republican gubernatorial candidates separate themselves from the primary pack? We dive in to the GOP gubernatorial race with Brent Leatherwood, former executive chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.Next week, we'll talk to Gov. Bill Haslam. Want to ask him a question? Tweet them to @Tennessean, @Dave_Boucher1 or @joelebert29 using the hashtag #GrandDivisions and we'll pick a few to ask him during the interview.Related links:The governor race has become the most expensive ever in Tennessee: https://tnne.ws/2ur68qX'Death by 10,000 cuts' will beat Bredesen: https://tnne.ws/2L2403tHarwell equates GOP rivals to children: https://tnne.ws/2mof6BaPotentially illegal text messages attack Boyd, Lee: https://tnne.ws/2uCOWyk

Is the Democratic gubernatorial race already over in Tennessee? Which Republican candidate would either candidate — House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh or former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean — prefer to face in the General Election. Democratic campaign and public policy strategist Tom Lee joins Grand Divisions this week to analyze the Democratic side of the race to become the state's next governor. Plus, a deep dive into the future of education policy in Tennessee and one GOP candidate's use of an Irish tax loophole. 

With time to change minds running out, candidates in the crowded GOP gubernatorial field are starting to take shots at one another. Will it be enough to push one candidate over the top?  Plus, U.S. Senate candidates look to mobilize their voters after a U.S. Supreme Court justice announces his retirement.In our featured segment, Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, joins the show to talk about the politics of immigration in Tennessee. 

Tennessee's gubernatorial race heats up with debates and a flurry of new television ads hitting the airwaves. The six top-tier candidates for governor participated in head-to-head debates that provided little clarity in terms of differences between the potential successors to Gov. Bill Haslam. The Tennessean's Metro reporter Joey Garrison breaks down the debate between former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh. In this episode of Grand Divisions, USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee statehouse reporter Joel Ebert explores their candidacies with Amanda Hunter of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and how a record number of women are running for offices in 2018. 

Americans are trying to decide the best way to regulate who can have a gun, how they can have a gun, and where they can find guns. Tennessee's next governor has huge power over deciding the course of gun laws in the state.This week on Grand Divisions, Jordan Buie speaks with the gubernatorial candidates to find out their positions and where they want to see gun laws go.Also, Williamson County reporter Emily West speaks with Senate candidate Phil Bredesen.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has threatened -- or implemented -- new tariffs on a slew of products entering the U.S. from all over the world. That means other countries are imposing their own tariffs, prompting some experts to question whether the country is on the brink of a trade war. Tennessean business and economics reporter Jamie McGee explains the local and national implications of these tariffs for this episode of Grand Divisions. Plus, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker discusses his pending legislation aimed at giving Congress more control over the type of tariffs that can be imposed by the president. 

President Donald Trump railed against former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen during a rally to support Rep. Marsha Blackburn's GOP bid to become the state's next U.S. senator. What impact will his presence have on the U.S. Senate race? Will the president endorse any GOP gubernatorial candidates ahead of the August primary election? We tackle that and more in this episode of Grand Divisions. John Geer, Vanderbilt University professor and co-director of the Vanderbilt poll, analyzes both races and the role Trump will play in each.