Hi, it's Delilah. I believe no child should have to suffer from hunger. Yet children around the world are starving because of circumstances beyond their control. That is why I'm asking you to give $30 monthly to World Help, an organization I trust. Each gift will feed one starving child for an entire year and share Christ's love.
Help a new child every month. Call eight three three three Hunger or visit WorldHelp. dotnet slash radio. From the principal Toyota Studios, it's morning in Memphis with Todd Darns and hello everybody. Happy Monday to you!
Great to be back in the Mid South. Got back in about two o'clock this morning at Memphis International. Pardon me, Fred Smith International Airport. We need to start calling the airport the Fred. Dylan, I thought about that over the weekend, and I mean, it's Frederick Smith International Airport is a lot to get out, but.
But if we just call it the Fred, yeah, I'm down for that. Right? It's it's a clever, fun name, and it still respects Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx. And you, so you can confuse someone too. You'd be like, "Yeah, we're going to the Fred later." They're like, "What?
What? What is that?" Then you can explain the whole story exactly.
So it gives you a talking point. You can be conversational exactly about it. Anyway, great great trip out to California. We're going to talk more about that on the national show. I'm just going to say this about I spoke to about a thousand conservatives in Orange County over the weekend.
They are fired up, and those are not you know I see a lot of doom and gloom Republicans. Those are not those people.
So just a lot of excitement. Out in California, we're going to be talking about that in just a few moments. Right now, though, we've got a lot happening here. We have a jam-packed show this morning, and I want to go right away to our Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line and say hello to David Hatley, the independent running for governor. A couple of major events happening in Shelby County that he's going to tell us about, and also some brand new polling data that's expected to come out today.
And David, first of all, great. To have you on the show, and it sounds like your campaign is really starting to gain steam. Hey, Todd. Good morning. Yes, sir.
It's it's it's it's good. We're hoping we're finalizing and getting all the waiting done on that. We'll get that out today. But you know, it'll prove what I've. Told a lot of people that's that's been asking.
I mean, we're certainly not a spoiler in this campaign. We we continue to think we have a path to victory, and I think this polling data will back that up when we get it out to the public.
So we're hearing, and just to give us some background on the poll, it wasn't like you guys didn't got just you know go out on the street and talk to you know fifteen or twenty folks. How many people were actually surveyed, and and what was the process of surveying these folks? Yeah, I think it's going to end up around thirteen thousand. It's a text poll that we did through a third party, so it's not us internally. It's a third party that we contracted it out to, but I think it's going to be end up around thirteen thousand respondents.
So it's a it's a pretty good sampling size, much more than a typical poll that you would get, you know, out in the field. And just based on the number of attack ads that the new attack ads that have been coming out, it seems to me that that polling data could be very good for you guys. Yes. Yeah, I mean, you you continue to see these attack ads. I mean, we we we're breaking records for the wrong reason.
I think they're up over five million dollars now. They've spent an attack ads against me, and I think that's the most in in American history for an independent to be attacked.
So it's not not a good record for either party to hold. But hey, welcome to politics. That's one thing I've learned since I've been on this campaign trail: expect the unexpected. And and we've been prepared and focused on, as you said, we'll be out in Memphis today. We're super excited!
We got a big crowd out at Owen Brennan's in Memphis there today, and then we have another rally tomorrow night. I don't have that location in front of me, but it's in Shelby County also.
So we're we're looking forward to spreading our message and meeting more Memphians and and continuing our path. Tell us real quick about the the event today, Owen Brennan's. Give us the the time and details, and how many folks you guys are expecting. Yeah, it's it's 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
But unfortunately, we are we are sold out with no extra room. I mean, we we expect you know it's hard to say when you get these RSVPs, but we have over 600 RSVPs, which means we'll probably end up with around three or four hundred folks out there today.
So it's it's a good size event. We're we're looking forward again to to seeing people. Those are huge numbers, and just to put that in into some context here, the annual. Lincoln Dinner in Shelby County, which is the largest in the state when it comes to Republican events, for example, I'm not sure they hit 600 people this past year for their big gala.
So, what does that tell you? And because you're getting, my understanding is, you guys are getting hundreds of people coming out to your events across the state. Oh yeah, you can see on our social media we're sharing that info. And I mean, our events Todd have have slowly gotten larger every single week, similar to the polls. You know, we watched ourselves move up in the polls, so I think it just tells us what we all know: the political climate is is ripe right now.
I mean, there are a lot of people that are unhappy with the way things are going out there, and I think they're they're interested and looking for change. And you know, they've been voting the same way for a long time, and we're in. Position, you know, we're because we voted the same way for a long time.
So I think the more people can believe that we have this path to victory, the better for us, also. Because you know, again, you know, our opponents are trying to say we're a spoiler. I wouldn't be putting my own money in this thing, Todd. Continue in the last two weeks as hard as I am with forty-one stops and three weeks and four millions of dollars each week into this campaign. If I didn't think there's a path to victory, I can promise you that.
David Hatley on our Patriot Mobile NewsMaker. Today, the independent running for governor, David. We had Jerry Green on the Democrat last week, and she actually agrees with Marsha Blackburn that you are fair game. What you did thirty, thirty-five years ago is fair game and is relevant to the conversation today. When it comes to you know your past, which you've been very open about, your reaction to to Jerry Green and and Marsha Blackburn.
I think Jerry's fair game too. I mean, Jerry's you know on TV talking about how she's going to embarrass people at debates and how she's going to she's never lost a case. I mean, she's a public defender, so she's never lost a case. Does that mean that she's never represented a guilty client? What does that mean?
I mean, they're they're everyone's fair game in the election world. I mean, again, Todd, this was something when I was twenty-one years old. I'm not going to minimize it because I you know it was thirty-eight thousand dollars in checks that. Pay back, but the end of the day, I think no one in life should be judged by their weakest moment. I mean, this is something when I was a kid.
I've had no business been there. Look what I've done since. I've got a lot more on my resume, in my opinion, than either of my opponents. I've been in the real world for thirty-some years. You know, learning lessons and fixing problems.
I haven't. I haven't been in law school and and as a public defender. I'm wondering though, you you could have, you know, over those years, you you could have run. I don't know, city council or school board or maybe even the mayor. I mean, you're very popular in East Tennessee.
Why didn't you get involved in the pot? Why now? Why just jump in and say, you know what? I'm just going to run for the the biggest prize of them all. Yeah, cause you know I've been buried in my work.
I mean, this is not—it's not easy to build when I build up here in East Tennessee. It takes a lot of work. I work sixty, seventy hours a week my entire life. I haven't had time to turn around and run for office and do anything until you know the systems that I've got in place have finally gave me the ability to step away and and look at where else I can have an impact. And and I want to, you know, I have—I had a pretty good life up here that I built with my employees right by my side.
And and if I I'm going to step away and put my family through this, Todd. It's going to be for a big cause, and this seven and a half million people. This is a lot bigger cause than the 759 employee, and and that's why I wanted this seat for governor's office. This is a big commitment. It's, but I can have the most impact on my Tennesseeans from this seat right here than anywhere else.
So, two more questions. I know you're super slammed today, and again, folks, the he'll be at David will be at Owen Brown. Eleven to twelve o'clock today, but they're sold out.
So maybe you can be in the parking lot and say hello. Look, the the the ballot itself. You are one of many independents, so you're sort of like right in the middle. You're in the H. You know, it's all alphabetical.
What are you doing to make sure that people, you know, they're going to have to select you? What are you guys doing to encourage people when they are going in, and of course, early voting underway? Yeah, just just taking a picture of that, as you said, where we're at on there, and making sure that everybody understands how to vote and do like that. I mean, we did that in our text and email campaign for the people that are on our list, and we're posting that on our social media. I mean, all we can do is try to educate people.
But the good news is we are on the left side of the ballot, Todd.
So we're lucky with that H that we didn't get buried over there on the right side at the very bottom. I mean, we're I think we're the sixth or seventh name on the list. Yeah, we're we're we're in pretty good shape compared. On the other independents, on there, David. I don't.
I don't know about this. It's never good for a conservative to be on the left side of anything. But we'll take your word for it on that. Hey, hey, look, David. Real quick here, when you you're looking at the at the folks that you guys are out there trying to bring onto your team, what are your internals telling you?
Are we? Are you guys attracting the independents, the Republicans? What What does that look like? Yeah. You know, I think everybody knows I'm a conservative, so it's definitely the majority Republicans that are upset with the party.
There are a lot of people that are on our side, also Todd, that are that are not responding to these polls because they're too scared to get kicked out of the Republican Party.
So it's as you know, we got endorsed by a state senator who they now threatened to caucus her out, and she's she's went through the ringer from endorsing an independent.
So you know, we're we're getting a good mixture, but the majority conservatives, but a Decent amount of Democrats. I mean, I had a Democrat in Knoxville Saturday that came came through the line. I stay and meet every single one of these people afterwards. takes me hours and take more questions. And we had a Democrat come through that said, "He said I'm a gay Democrat.
I've been a gay Democrat my entire life, and I'm voting for you. I like your message." So I think it's it's majority conservatives. A decent amount of Democrats and and a lot of Independents. It's a really good mix. Have you had any conversations with with Monty Fritz?
Of course, yeah, of course. I've had conversation with Monty Fritz. Have you have you asked him for his endorsement? I have not. I'm not because he told me the first time I talked to him that he won't endorse anybody.
He said, "I'll never endorse anybody. I won't endorse you. I won't endorse Marcia." So I have not asked Mike for his endorsement. And and to be honest with you, we're we have all a lot of his supporters are out there working hard for us anyway, regardless of. Whether he endorses anybody or not.
All right, good stuff, David. Appreciate you hopping on this morning. I know you've got a very tight schedule. And again, let us know about the the information on on Tuesday's big event in Memphis. But again, today Owen Brennan's, and that's from eleven o'clock until twelve o'clock.
David, good luck to you. Thank you, and I'll be in Memphis most of the week.
So check out HatleyForGovernor dot com and see where I'm at. All right, thank you so much, Doc. HatleyForGovernor dot com, ladies and gentlemen, is the website address. We've got to take a quick break, and curious to hear your thoughts. Who are you voting for?
You've heard David Hatley. We've had all of all of the major candidates on this radio station. Who do you like? Nine zero one two six zero five nine two six our telephone number. That's nine zero.
One two six zero five nine two six. Gotta take a quick break. Commander Chuck standing by with a look at your morning commute. All right, welcome back, everybody. It is Monday in the Mid South, and a lot of celebrating going on in Olive Branch.
The Olive Branch High School Marching Band named Grand Champions. The Conquistador Band named Grand Champion of the Mississippi Invitational Marching Classic.
Well done. Getting the the kids getting that news on Sunday. Band also earned superior ratings in every category of the Mississippi Mississippi High School Activities Association marching evaluations.
Well done, young people there in Olive Branch. Also today, early voting underway in Arkansas.
Now we have a lot of listeners across the river, and you folks heading to the polls today to start voting. I want to bring into the conversation our good buddy John Covington. He's here on just about every Saturday on Behind the Badge, right here on the Body Guy Donnie, John. Good to have you with us. Did you play in the marching band when you were in school?
Were you a marching band guy? I was not in the marching band. Yeah, a lot of kids were, but I never was. Never was. Dylan was like he's like the musical genius of the family, and you were like you were the marching band from University of Memphis.
That is true, indeed. Oh, you were. You were almost pro. Do you still have your eligibility? Or can you go pro marching band?
My tenth year. Yeah, your tenth year. NIL money that's right. That's right. We got to work on that NIL money.
Let's talk about let's talk about politics, John. The early voting starting today in Arkansas. What do you make of these numbers? I mean, massive numbers. Over what thirty three thousand people have already.
Voted well, you know. You're happy about it. What do we always complain about? People aren't involved and aren't voting. You know, you got to imagine here in Shelby County.
There's you know that residual anger about redistricting. We thought that would probably fire up the Democrats, but you know, seeing the Republicans seem to be out there voting strong too.
So this is a good sign. You know, this is not a presidential election. You're on the midterms are very important. Obviously, we're voting for governor, but I am pleased to see the numbers jumping up. I wonder if President Trump's rallies are having something to do with that, because there did seem to be a bit of a malaise going into early voting across the country.
I think so. It brought back some of you know he's he's got that magic, he's got that ability, and it brought back some of the bazz. I guess is the word to this election, because he he put himself back out there in many ways, put himself on the ballot, and of course that fired up the base. I think. We just had David Hatley on, independent.
First of all, I mean the guy's dumped what twelve million dollars of his own money into the campaign. Right, that's a lot of hot tubs. Right, right.
So he's he's doing well, and there does seem to be a lot of frustration internally with the Tennessee Republican Party from the state level all the way down to the local. Do you really think this guy may have a shot at being a spoiler here?
Well. I was on record saying, you know, they they're going to have the upcoming debate between Hatley Green and Pinkston. Is that her name? Yeah, Lauren Pinkston. And what I said, and I think I still stand by: whoever comes out and makes a big splash in that debate has gone a long way for whatever they're going to run for next.
But I think Hatley has shown himself to have a lot of skills.
Now, of course, he's got some baggage, and you brought up in your interview. You know, he really jumped to the head of the line to run for something right out the gate, and I don't know if that's. You know if that's always the best move, but clearly he's got some skills. He's got some interesting ideas.
So we see we'll see what the future holds for for David Hatley. I mean, we see that sort of in the candidacy of Rick Jackson over in Georgia, right? You know, a self-made guy, and but he is the Republican nominee, and he's running a very effective campaign. Never done politics, but he's been a very successful businessman. And of course, there's also a guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Well, I was going to say who gave the Blueprint, right? Is Donald Trump, but one thing. But and I think in the next presidential, you know, rotation we're coming up. People, well, they learned when they tried to run in primaries against him. There's only one Donald Trump.
You know, the mold was broken, and people can follow the blueprint. But boy, he's he's one of a kind. Here's where I'm torn, and this is the Baptist side of me coming out. You know, we do believe in forgiveness, right? And yeah, he made some horrible life.
Choices. What thirty, forty years ago, but since then, you know, he's become at least by all indications a good and productive member of society. Does that what he did forty years does that disqualify him from being the governor of the state of Tennessee? For me personally, I believe it does. For me, because I was twenty, I was dumb, I made a bunch of mistakes that would never occur to me to do that.
You know, because I was instilled with my parents. A sense of right and wrong, and not saying I didn't make any mistakes, but to me personally, and you know, I'm in law enforcement, and I take a pretty hard line about responsibility and. Yeah, it was just I would never have done what he did, so that that's how I feel about it personally. I think a lot of people are struggling with that. Yeah, and honest, I really think that's going to be a big challenge for him to overcome.
And I'm not, I don't know, maybe he's done a good enough job of explaining that to the folks. We're gonna, you're gonna stick around. We've got to take a quick break here, and we're gonna also gonna add Steve Gill to the conversation, publisher of TryStarDaily.com, and we want to hear from you as well. Who do you like in the governor's race? Who do you like in the congressional races?
Our telephone number nine zero one two six zero five nine two six again nine zero one two six zero five nine two six. We'll be taking your calls. Also, kwamradio. dot com. If you haven't already done so, download our free app.
You'll be able to listen to KWAM wherever you are across America. Hang tight, everybody. We'll be right back. I'm gonna make you mine. All right.
Well, we are anxiously awaiting a federal judge today. He is expected to rule on Justin Pearson and several of several others who were banned from Tuesday's Memphis City Council meeting because he showed up with a megaphone and caused all sorts of chaos.
So, federal judge going to decide that a little bit later on today. Welcome back, everybody. Everybody, I'm Todd Stearns. Also, want to give you a heads up, all of you big hockey fans. The Memphis Monarchs are well returning to Southaven Friday.
This is sort of exciting professional hockey back in the mid South. They're going to be playing their their first home game. They'll face the Baton Rouge Kingfish at Landers Center that seven o'clock.
So, the this is an expansion team, by the way, in the Federal Pros. Hockey League, so all you hockey fans, give you something to do Friday night. Want to go right away to the Patriot Mobile NewsMaker line? We have Steve Gill, the publisher of TriStarDaily. dot com, and we have in studio John Covington, the host of Behind the Badge, and also with the Memphis Police Association.
Steve, good to have you with us. And we had David Hatley on earlier in the in the program, touting this poll that's coming out. Today, our sources are telling us he is looking at at getting about twenty to twenty five percent of the vote so far. What are you hearing, and what do you think this is going to mean to the Republicans? Hello, Steve.
Hey, guys. Good to be with you. All right, Steve. Let's start that again. Let's start that again.
Now that we've got Steve with us, Steve. Again, we had David Hatley on just a few moments ago, and Hatley touting this poll that's expected to come out today. We believe those numbers are going to be twenty to twenty-five percent. They did a text poll of thirteen thousand people across the volunteer state. What do What do you read into that?
Yeah, I got to tell you, the the format of the poll. Raises some questions for me because it's you know people choosing to respond. I've talked to some people who got the text and and didn't know who it was from and didn't respond.
So I'm not sure about the accuracy of the poll. I think that he has definitely put himself in that position where he could be at those those sort of numbers. And from what I'm hearing in some of the other polling, is that Marshall Blackburn's numbers have dropped her into kind of the mid 30s. That that you've got the Jerry Green, Democrat nominee, at about 31.
So I'm anxious to see what the numbers are, and and I know that the Hatley team believes that they're going to ultimately have a fight where everyone's going to be in the 30s. And it's going to be a battle where a point here or point there is going to be the difference.
So we're into the already voting season where people are casting votes.
So every one of those votes that gets cast, they're not on the table anymore, and and you can kind of hone in your your communications to those who are left. It's going to be a wild two weeks, John. What's up with Marcia? I mean, I am shocked to hear those numbers. You know, if if they hold that she's really in the in the mid thirties, why do people not like Marcia?
You know, I don't know when you've been in politics a long time. You know, you you create a big record, and you you know you create opposition as well as support.
Now I'm always like Steve. I question any every candidate comes out with polls. Jerry Green came out of the poll not too long ago, saying she was like forty one percent or something like that. And then when you do polls by text. All the older folks—I don't know if they text—and they're the ones, the ones that vote.
And so, yeah, and this is kind of that season going on. But I would be shocked if Marcia was down in the thirties. I just feel like with President Trump's endorsement, I think she's going to be just fine. Steve, what say you? I mean, you've been doing politics a long time here.
Again, when you look at how far to the left Jerry Green is, seems to me she ought to be at least polling in the in the mid forties, Marcia. Yeah, and and again, let's let's go back to the primary and the polling we were getting there. You had Marcia's team claiming, "Oh, she's." You know, got a fifty-point lead, and then when the actual numbers came in, election day, she was at forty-three percent, and and you had Monty Fritz who came in in the twenties, you had John Rose who was in the low thirties. The numbers did not reflect what her team had been claiming all along of an insurmountable, unbeatable situation. And when she only pulled forty-three percent in the primary, that was not reflected in the polls.
That that various groups. For putting out there, and then you had the a couple of of independent groups that were supporting her early on had her number at forty five, and and since that time she's been the target of of attacks by by David Hatley.
Now that they've been launching plenty of attacks on Hatley, but you know I think that the high water mark for her was probably in that. Mid forties to low forties, and the question is: Has she dropped from from there as this campaign has moved on? There is a lot of Trump fatigue, even among Republicans. The economy, the affordability issue continues to hit hard. It's I think it's ridiculous when you got you know a barrel of oil price back to around eighty eighty five dollars a barrel.
Gas prices should be much lower. But they still aren't, and and that's the that's the defining number, I think, when you look at affordability. This is John Covington, but I would imagine when people go into that booth, the Republicans are not obviously going to vote for Pinkston or Green. And my feeling is, and a lot of people I talk to, that when the the push comes to shove, most Republicans will come home to Marsha because of those those legal issues that Hatley has in his background. That's a pretty big thing to surmount, I think.
Yeah, I think that as he's gotten the truth out about the so-called legal issues, you know, when he was 21, he bounced checks. And they're making it sound like he's been a serial killer for the last you know thirty something years, and I think at some point, if you overstate your case, you've been involved in in in the criminal prosecution and criminal business for a long time. When you're a prosecutor, if you overcharge, if you overstate your case as a litigator, the jury will lose faith in you. And I think that some of what Marshall Blackburn and her team has done by overstating, as Hatley has gotten around and people have gotten to know him and know his true story, I think at some point you hurt your own credibility if you overstate, if you overreach. And I think there's there's some of that going on with with the Blackburn team.
I I no, I think Covington is onto something here, Steve. I love this. Maybe a new a new campaign ad. Come home to Marcia. Come home to Marcia.
Well, have a nice little sunrise over the East Tennessee mountains. What I picture is twenty years from now, Tammy Sawyer saying, "Hey, I was young. I made a few financial. I used a credit card I wasn't supposed to, but you can say that." But You know those are choices you make, and you know certainly I would not have been writing bad checks at the age of twenty or however old I was.
So I think that will play a big part in in people's decision. And and my feeling is, and again, it's my opinion, my feeling, they'll get in that that voting booth and they'll probably come home to Marcia. Steve. What people need to remember, though, John, not to just debate it, but sure. But when Marcia was heading up the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, she went out to Los to Hollywood, to Los Angeles, ran up about forty thousand dollars in taxpayer money on on high end hotels and limousines and expensive dinners.
Was called upon by the governor to repay that money. She refused to provide the the receipts. Instead, burned the And sent them in in ashes in an envelope, and she was a lot older than twenty one when forty thousand dollars of taxpayer money became an issue.
So again, these issues cut both ways. I've been surprised, frankly, that Hatley has played that a little bit more. It's just a comparison of yeah, I made a mistake when I was twenty one, I paid for it. Marcia intentionally did this when she was in her in her thirties and was never held for account. Steve, I've got to jump in here.
And by the way, we've got Steve Gill. From TriStarDaily. dot com, the publisher of that great statewide political news organization, and also John Covington with us. You know, Steve, the the Hatley campaign—they're doing some big events this week in Memphis. He said he told us earlier today on the show they had six hundred RSVPs to their to their event at Owen Brennan.
Which Covington, I'm kind of surprised by because I'm not sure you can get six hundred people. In that restaurant, but what do you make of Steve? What do you make of the big the big turnout here?
Well, they ought to be making friends with the fire marshal because that's going to exceed the right the capacity. Yeah, I think it was interesting when President Trump was. Was you know running in that first time you know I was you know covering a lot of the races was going to a lot of his rallies and and they would have more than capacity and they were setting up big screen TVs outside so that the overflow could could watch what was going on and and going on inside so maybe capacity you know maybe the capacity crowds are an indication he's have some of those video trucks I know Pinston had video trucks at some events and maybe he's do the same thing I still think and you know despite The the poll numbers, despite you know the the the push that he's making, I still see a hard a hard road to get to that thirty five, thirty eight, forty two percent, even from twenty twenty five in the next two weeks to to get there.
So it's still marshes to lose, but she is certainly seeing you know what was taken as an inevitable can't lose race and and put it into into a contest. And and you know that because you're not seeing Ward Baker, her consultant, push out polls. You're not seeing a campaign that's only. There's nothing. They're still on the attack at this stage.
Yeah, that's true. It is. By the way, Paul Shanklin writing in from Fayette County, listing this morning, he said, "Or Marcia could do a commercial saying she had nothing to do with all her other nasty commercials during the primary and the general election." So there's that. It's just that a little. It was you know that that dance video that they put out that was almost as cringy as you know crushing the fortune cookies.
She again, and I think this is part of the problem. That again, as John mentioned, over thirty years, you are going to antagonize the people. You are going to you are going to lose people, and bringing them back you know becomes harder. When when you see her then pointing the finger, well, the county commissioner did that, and then somebody else posted that, and and I am not responsible, and and that's unfortunately. A pattern that we have seen, where it's it's never her.
When when the ice storm hit Middle Tennessee, she got special treatment to get her power back. When when they shut down the government, she was being escorted through airports by guides and and by aides and and officials to give her special treatment. I think that special treatment angle is what has stuck over 30 years of her career. That may be a reason, you know, John, that some people won't come home at the end of the day.
Well, but I also think you know that video, even though it was fairly silly, but some of the reaction to it was pretty silly, especially from the Democrats. But you know, we forget sometimes we get so involved with we're so up and close, but a lot of it is getting the name out there. And what did that video do? It got Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, the discussion of Marsha's name out there, which I think for a lot of voters they go in and they say, well, I've always leaned to the right or whatever, and oh yeah, Marsha, I know that name. And so I don't really think it hurt.
In terms, and I saw it got a lot of hits and and so forth.
So I don't think there's anything as really bad publicity. I want to jump into and the cultural appropriation claim. Oh yeah, oh yeah, that was so. That was yeah, that was everybody's eye was on St. Patrick's.
That's right. Thank you, thank you. Real quick, fellas, because we're gonna we're gonna have to wrap it up. But I think overall, overall, there is an overarching issue, and that is unity within the Republican Party here in. And I think we are really.
I think this is an issue that's happening all across the country. Is as there is a battle for who will control the party moving forward. Whether it will be the establishment, will it be the the MAGA populist wing? Who gets who gets to run things? How do we fix that in advance of the midterm?
Or is it even possible? John, I'll start with you. Steve, we'll let you chime in later.
Well, I I'm a very big history guy. I've been looking back at the battle between Gerald. And Ronald Reagan during that convention, and Ronald Reagan came out of. We got to be together. We got to be focused, and we came out of the Republican Party out of such trauma to the great victory in 1980.
And I think that's what we got to do. He said it best: stop talking about each other, stop talking together about the issues because we're right, and the stakes are too high. And we have got to stop all this infighting and silliness and get organized and get our message out. Steve Gill. Yeah, well, and the division is real.
I mean, you guys see it in Shelby County and split between the so-called moderates, the establishment, the rhinos, and the conservatives. That is playing out in virtually every county across Tennessee in the Republican Party.
So there is a serious you know unity issue, and I think. Yeah, to me, you know, my solution would be if the state executive committee would require a a runoff system like we have in Georgia and South Carolina and several others. You know, Marshall won the primary with forty three percent of the vote. If you can't get fifty percent plus one in the primary of your own party, there's a there's a divide. And to me, the way you cure that is by making sure candidates have to win a majority in order to be your nominees.
Now that's more of a process side. That's going to take some time. But one of the reasons you have lack of unity is is you keep having candidates. Bill Lee, I think, got the Republican nomination with about thirty five percent of the vote. It's hard to unify if there's no process to get it done.
Well said. And you brought up you brought up Gerald Ford. The funny part, the irony here is Ford could have could have been the vice president. You know, they were trying to. And I got a message from somebody over the weekend saying, "What is an establishment?" Republican, because you know I supported Reagan, and I believe Reagan was an establishment.
No, Reagan was the conservative guy. Reagan was the Trump guy, and they tried. You know, you had Gerald Ford, you had George H. W. Bush, and they basically declared war on Ronald Reagan.
Ford would have been the vice president until he gave an interview where he said that basically he had been offered the gig as VP, but he would he would be actually a co president. I remember that. And that's when and that's when Reagan said, "Okay, we're going with HW." Well, and part of and what's going to be next? That Reagan emerged as the leader that unified the party. Trump emerged as the leader that unified the party.
Who will be next? That's the big question. All right, guys, great stuff. And Steve, we're going to have a lot more to talk about. No doubt about it.
TriStarDaily dot com. Go and check out all of his great stuff, John. Do you have a website? What? Where do we draw?
Where do we drive people to? I do. John Covington, Shelby County. Come check that out. And if we got a second.
On these city referendums, five nine seven seven and five nine seven eight, the police and fire associations are against those. Really?
So again, so you're saying vote no, vote no on those because it just makes it harder for us to advocate for these these heroes. We'll get you back on to talk more about that. Absolutely, very soon. All right, Steve Gill, always great to have you on. Appreciate your wise words.
Steve is gone already. He wisely. Got out of town. He's heading over to Waffle House. All right, we got to take a break, everybody.
We'll be right back. All right, some major interstate construction to tell you about I-55. This is over near South Third Street. I-55. It's going to be shut down.
So a lot of closures this week near that that intersection there and that exit ramp, Interstate 55 and South Third Street. Tdot doing a lot of work, so just be careful. On Tuesday, the in Entrance ramp from State Route 14 onto I-55 southbound is scheduled to close from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon. Commander Chuck will keep you updated on all that, but expect a little bit of a backup. Also, National Weather Service asking us to pass along this information to you.
Fire danger increasing across the mid south. All this beautiful weather, low humidity, yeah, that creates a perfect recipe. Recipe for wildfires, so be very, very careful. Dry grass, leaves, brush can ignite.
So you guys know what to do. Play it smart. There. Also, got a message. Wanted to get this in from our friends over the Salvation Army.
They're hosting a free fall festival this coming weekend. The Salvation Army Croc Center. It's called the Fall Fun Bash. Begins at eleven o'clock and winds up at about two o'clock in the afternoon. Afternoon, and this year's theme is a rodeo.
By the way, Dylan ran into some.
Somebody came up to me at the gala, and it was like a kid. Like a fifteen, sixteen-year-old kid, and said, "Mr. Stearns, I'm a big fan." And I said, "Well, thank you. What do you do?" He said, "I'm a, I'm a rodeo guy. I he rides the bulls.
Really, fifteen, a champion in his age. Yeah." And I'm like, "Get out of here!" So he's got this belt buckle the size of like a grill on a car. Oh yeah. And I'm like, "Okay, that that makes sense." But then he showed us the pictures, and we're like, "Holy cow!" I mean, this kid was really good. That's I've never.
Seen them that young? I thought they were only adults. Had right, exactly.
So anyway, he would. Who knows? This guy might be at the Salvation Army Rodeo.
So anyway, be sure to check that out. And the best part about it, admission is free, and the event is open to the public. All right, what a great, great start to the week. We've got Frank Colbert filling in for me tomorrow. I'm off to Houston for a big book signing with our radio affiliate there.
We'll see you back here eleven o'clock on the mighty nine ninety. Hi, it's Delilah. I believe. Believe every child deserves enough food to grow healthy and strong. Right now, children are dying from hunger.
Through World Help, a Christian humanitarian organization, thirty dollars will feed one starving child for an entire year. Give monthly and provide a year of meals for another child every month while sharing Christ's love. Call eight three three three hunger or visit worldhelp.net/radio.
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