Bredesen laments political 'bloodsport' in last appeal to voters in Tennessee's Senate race

CHATTANOOGA — Shout as loud as you want, but Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Phil Bredesen said he's not raising his voice.

"Politics today is a bloodsport — but I’ve come here to show that there are other ways to campaign and to present your case to the people of Tennessee," the former two-term governor said at an interfaith lunch at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center ahead of a rally by President Donald Trump for his rival, Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn. 

"My family taught me their values, and one of them was that you respected everyone. The heat of a political campaign doesn’t change that," said Bredesen, who's campaigned as an independent-minded moderate.

"We should vote people in and out, not shout them in and out."

The lines and the polls

The event got underway just about an hour before doors opened a few blocks away for Trump's rally in support of Blackburn outside the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s McKenzie Arena.

The lines didn't stretch around the block for Bredesen’s appearance, but supporter Samantha Rajapakse said that won’t get her down.

“I just came from the Trump rally,” she said. “It’s not about what you see in line. It’s about what happens at the polls. We’re going to turn Tennessee blue.”

Bredesen said he didn't mind the contrast, either.

"I'm a former governor. He's president of the United States," Bredesen said. "If he did not have a longer line, I would be worried for him."

About 350 attendees registered for the lunch. Bredesen took the stage to a standing ovation after prayers for national unity and healing in the wake of the Oct. 27 shooting that killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Bredesen made sure to drop the name of one person not present — retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor and sometimes Trump critic who's been lukewarm in his support for Blackburn.

Corker, who has given money to Blackburn's campaign, said early on during the race that he wouldn't campaign against Bredesen, whom he says he considers a friend. Corker voted last week but wouldn't say whether he cast a ballot for Blackburn.

"He is understandably not here with us, but I want everyone to know that I admire the job he did as Chattanooga’s mayor, and I respect enormously how he has carried himself in his two terms in the United States Senate," Bredesen said.  "As you all know, I’m seeking to follow him in that seat, and it would be a privilege to do so."

Back into politics for Bredesen

Rajapakse said Trump’s election spurred her to jump back into political activism after years of sitting on the sidelines.

“I’m 52, and I’ve voted in every election since I turned 18,” she said. “I used to be active, but I wasn’t planning to get back into politics until Trump started making racial attacks and getting personal. Then I started to see this is Trumpland.”

In spite of the visible support for the president and local Republicans — everything from yard signs to giant flashing red billboards along Interstate 75 — she believes enough of her neighbors will prove to be closet Bredesen voters to turn the electoral tide for the Democrat.

“If the Democrats didn’t have a chance, Trump wouldn’t be coming here today,” she said. “If we didn’t have a chance, we wouldn’t have to fight vote suppression.”

She said Bredesen might not be liberal enough for her all the time, but she’ll take that over Blackburn’s deep-red rhetoric for Trump.

“I didn’t agree with him about (Bredesen’s support for Supreme Court Justice) Brett Kavanaugh,” she said. “But I don’t expect to agree with him on everything.”

Bredesen offered no apologies, even though the stance has fueled criticism from some supporters who said the decision could cost him their votes.

"I did exactly what I said I was going to do," he said. "I listened to all the arguments and made a call. It wasn't about winning the election. It was about showing people how I would handle things."

The latest polls show the Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker as either neck-and-neck or give an edge to Blackburn.  Rajapakse said she’s not worried.

“Polls are always wrong,” she said. “If the polls were always right, Hillary’d be president.”

'Divisive' race

Bredesen said he chose to speak at Sunday's lunch to offer an alternative to a "long and at times divisive" race. He said he expected no end of insults and put-downs at Trump's rally.

"Listen to the president when he is here tonight, and imagine putting his words into the mouths of Ronald Reagan or John Kennedy," Bredesen said. "You can’t do it; they both would have stopped well short of what I expect this evening. Or, for that matter, listen to some of the president’s critics on TV tonight; same thing."

Talk like that, Bredesen said, endangers the American tradition of bipartisan governance and principled disagreement.

“I’m very proud of my country," he said. "I think it ought to be the world’s example of a well-run, self-government democracy. I don’t think we’re doing that for a bunch of reasons, and I’m just trying to call people back to remember our destiny.”

No matter what anybody says on the stump, Bredesen said he won't change his trademark low-key style.

"Whatever is said in the heat of the campaign won’t affect my willingness, eagerness even, to work with the president," Bredesen said.  "When this election is over, it’s over. I’m not running against the president; if he is for something that is good for Tennessee, I need to support him in that.  If it’s bad for Tennessee, I need to oppose him."

Sunday's gathering marked one of the last events of Bredesen’s Senate campaign ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.

Blackburn and Bredesen have received the bulk of attention across the state of Tennessee as well as heavy national attention. Republicans promptly condemned the former governor's remarks at Sunday's event as empty talk and false promises of cooperation.

"Phil Bredesen’s entire campaign has been premised on the notion that he could actually work with President Trump," said Garren Shipley, a Republican National Committee spokesman. "President Trump said it very well: a vote for Phil Bredesen is a vote for obstruction and resistance."

Republicans have a 51-49 lead in the Senate with the tie-breaking vote belonging to Vice President Mike Pence. Predictions of the Senate flipping have cooled recently, but Corker's seat remains a prime target for Democrats and a top concern for Republicans, whose majority in the House could be in jeopardy as well.

Joel Ebert contributed to this report. 

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