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Supporters of upstart Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former first lady-turned-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton are preparing for an arduous fight in the Tennessee Democratic Primary on Feb. 5.
Early voting starts Jan. 16.
"It's going to be a full-blown campaign," declared Robert "Bob" Tuke, Obama's political director in Tennessee. "People said it's a red (Republican) state, but I don't believe that. Tennesseans are a lot like all Americans. They are tired of misinformation, duplicity and negative campaigning."
Tuke, former chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party and partner in the Nashville law firm Trauger & Tuke, said with Obama, "We are witnessing history. We haven't seen anybody of his caliber since [former president] John Kennedy. He is so broadly appealing and he will be our nominee instead of Hillary [Clinton]."
Not so fast, says Randy Button, another former Tennessee Democratic Party chairman and member of the steering committee supporting Clinton.
"I believe she is the person who will stand up to the status quo and get the country back in the right direction," said Button. "His (Obama's) time will come. But I don't think he has the experience. We need a leader who will go to work from day one. He will have the opportunity to serve again."
So the race for the dividing of Tennessee's 85-delegate blue (Democratic) pie is well underway. In addition to Obama and Clinton, Democratic supporters for former North Carolina senator John Edwards also are staking out ground. And while the bulk of African-Americans in Tennessee historically have voted Democratic in recent years, those who prefer the red side of aisle also will be going to the polls. Their choices include former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of neighboring state Arkansas.
The battle for Tennessee's delegates takes place on...