Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy
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In our society, political candidates must walk a fine line. Elections today cost an unprecedented amount of money, with state office elections costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. In order to be competitive in their elections, political candidates must have the ability to raise large amounts of money. This ability is contingent upon having the right connections, the right methodology, and the right attitude. However, raising the funds that are necessary to get elected often forces candidates to enter into tacit quid pro quo relationships. Or, in political parlance, to enter into mutual back-scratching relationships. This paper will examine the campaign finances of newly-elected Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy. First, we will examine Tracy's campaign, paying particular attention to his political rhetoric. Then, we will analyze his contributors to see if any special interest groups are purchasing leverage with the Senator and if these groups influenced the campaign. Lastly, we will examine the Senator's voting record to see what influence these special interest groups have actually wielded through the Senator. Given the fact that Tracy has only been in office for barely six months, however, we will focus on two particular votes. In last year's election in Tennessee's Senate District 16, Republican candidate Jim Tracy took on Democratic incumbent Larry Trail. Jim Tracy had limited political experience prior to his election. He was an insurance agent who h
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er bill of rights" (Edwards). The other advertisement harshly criticized his Democratic opponent, alleging that Trail voted to increase taxes and to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses. However, the bill that Tracy's ad was referring to in actuality would have "required all state agencies to report anyone to immigration officials who sought a driver's license or other state services without a Social Security card" (Edwards). Tracy responded to criticism about his ad by calling his opponent a "flip-flopper," claiming that Trail had supported a new official document that would be issued to state residents which would allow them to drive a vehicle without having to prove that they are citizens of the country. Tracy's arguments were effective in convincing voters, and his election with 52 percent of the returns catapulted the Republican Party to the majority in the Tennessee Senate for the first time since Reconstruction (de la Cruz2).
Having explored the campaign, it we turn to the financing to see what, if anything, we can tell by examining Jim Tracy's political supporters. All told, Senator Tracey raised 358,000 for his election, including $8,000 of his own money. Much of this money came from private bu
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Approximate Word count = 1207
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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