Senate candidate Phil Bredesen made a bold move last week by announcing that he supported Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. Many conservatives are calling him a liar while many Democrats are shell-shocked by the apparent betrayal four weeks before the election.
He’s making enemies quickly.
His announcement of supporting confirmation after-the-fact was intended to build support in a state that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and backed Kavanaugh’s confirmation. While it may have pulled some people off the fence to land on his side of the tight race, it also made others skeptical about his honesty while alienating a large part of his base.
It isn’t just his base that should worry him. Even campaign volunteers are upset by the announcement.
Volunteers bolt Bredesen over Kavanaugh support
Campaign volunteers have been calling to cancel door-knocking and phone-banking shifts for Bredesen since his statement backing Kavanaugh, according to an internal spreadsheet maintained by the campaign and obtained by POLITICO. At least 22 volunteers so far have reached out to express frustration with the decision, according to the spreadsheet. POLITICO spoke with five who contacted the campaign to vent their anger.
Volunteer anger hasn’t been the only fallout after Bredesen became a rare pro-Kavanaugh Democrat. Priorities USA, a top Democratic outside group, announced it would not support Bredesen, though the group had yet to spend any money in the Tennessee race. Bredesen’s campaign was also targeted by Project Veritas, a right-wing organization that runs “sting” operations surreptitiously recording targets. The group released a video Thursday of campaign staffers saying Bredesen’s support for Kavanaugh had only been a political decision.
His base may not have to worry, though. If members of his campaign staff are to be believed, Bredesen isn’t a traitor to the Democratic Party. He’s just a liar using his fake support for Kavanaugh as a way to con Republicans into voting for him.
This video by Project Veritas shows undercover footage of campaign staffers and volunteers dismissing the candidates claims, saying when he gets into office he’ll be “a good Democrat” and that his claimed support of Kavanaugh was a fabrication.
So, some Democrats are leaving him because he allegedly supports Kavanaugh while others are leaving him for lying about supporting Kavanaugh. based on the video and common sense, it seems very likely he’s simply lying about supporting Kavanaugh to get swing votes. Will Independents and moderate Republicans be fooled?
Singer Taylor Swift either endorsed a Brett Kavanaugh supporter or a blatant liar. How will that make her female fans feel? Her first plunge into politics will hopefully be her last.
