GOP nominee in TN-8 doesn't know the boundaries of his district.

[memphis]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/sep/30/congressional-candidate-confused-about-whether-par/

Doesn't matter. He'll win anyway.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I'm aware that I'm probably wrong here, so please don't start calling me a hack or a dumb, but I've always had a gut feeling that Herron would narrowly eke out a win.  I'll admit that Herron is an underdog, but he seems like a very strong candidate who can appeal to all parts of the district, while Fincher's appeal seems to be just in the rural areas.  Although Fincher is a good candidate for the district, Herron may very well be (aside from Tanner) the best Democratic candidate for the district.  I would argue that this is a district that (like MS-1, SC-5, WV-1, FL-2, etc) has been under-polled this cycle.  Once again Fincher is definitely favored, but I don't see why most posters seem to be completely writing off Herron (although I could be underestimating how bad a year it will be for the Democrats).  Could someone better acquainted with this district enlighten me on this race if I'm missing something.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

LOL, as if anyone knows what the boundaries of their congressional districts are. These things are grotesque beasts, even in the least gerrymandered of seats.

[memphis]

LOL, as if anyone knows what the boundaries of their congressional districts are. These things are grotesque beasts, even in the least gerrymandered of seats.

.
You think it's reasonable for a candidate of a mostly white rural district not to realize part of his district is in the mostly black "big city?" Even I already knew that, and I don't live in TN-8. This isn't a municipal technicality. The district has no suburbs. And it's not like his district is crazy shaped.

Fincher is some hayseed farmer who collects millions in gov't subsidies and bitches about the big spending and bailouts. He won't even debate his opponent in an open seat. And he's going to win.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

You think it's reasonable for a candidate of a mostly white rural district not to realize part of his district is in the mostly black "big city?"

If your district is 98% "mostly white rural", and you have to know everything about those areas, why would you be expected to know that a few precincts (and several of those aren't full precincts, just precinct splits) happen to cross into the city limits of Memphis.

[minionofmidas]

12% of the district is in Shelby County, 8% is in Memphis city limits. The suburban portion is about 1/3 Black, the city portion 2/3. (And the remainder of the district about 1/6.)

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

12% of the district is in Shelby County, 8% is in Memphis city limits. The suburban portion is about 1/3 Black, the city portion 2/3. (And the remainder of the district about 1/6.)

7% of the district's registered voters are in the city limits of Memphis, but they comprise less than 6% of the active voters and are likely to comprise a substantially smaller proportion of the voters in the November election.

Only 6% of the City of Memphis voters live in the 8th district (compared with 8% in the 7th and 86% in the 9th), so Memphis is often not associated with the district.

[minionofmidas]

Only 6% of the City of Memphis voters live in the 8th district (compared with 8% in the 7th and 86% in the 9th), so Memphis is often not associated with the district.

Yeah (add that there's infinitely more Shelby suburbia in the 7th). Still not as irrelevant as you made it sound, though.

Of course, the seventh and eightth are the only problem with the otherwise almost exemplary Tennessee map. (And yeah, Tanner-protection-mander at work.) They really ought to be split east-west.

[ag]

You think it's reasonable for a candidate of a mostly white rural district not to realize part of his district is in the mostly black "big city?"

If your district is 98% "mostly white rural", and you have to know everything about those areas, why would you be expected to know that a few precincts (and several of those aren't full precincts, just precinct splits) happen to cross into the city limits of Memphis.

It's not 98% white rural. The district contains 17 whole counties and 2 partial counties. Of those 19 counties, the portion in Shelby county is the second largest (12% of the population). It is 58% black and 35% white. The only larger county in the district is Madison (15% of the population), and it is not lily white or very rural either: 61% white, 34% black

If we only consider the Memphis city part of the district, it is still 8% of the district by population, and it is, of course, very non-white (70% black, 24% white). There is, actually, a slightly larger than that city in the district (Jackson, in Madison county), and it is barely more than 50% white (smthg. like 51% white, 43% black). There is only one other county, besides Madison, in the district that has population bigger than the Memphis part of the district, and even that barely (Tipton, about 9% of the population), and it is, though 77% white, still has 19% of blacks. The otehr 16 counties have far smaller populations.  Overall, the district is 73% white, 22% black and 3% Hispanic and 1% Asian. Fairly white, but, for instance, the neighbhoring 7th is 82% white (as is its, much larger, share of the Shelby county).

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

You think it's reasonable for a candidate of a mostly white rural district not to realize part of his district is in the mostly black "big city?"

If your district is 98% "mostly white rural", and you have to know everything about those areas, why would you be expected to know that a few precincts (and several of those aren't full precincts, just precinct splits) happen to cross into the city limits of Memphis.

It's not 98% white rural. The district contains 17 whole counties and 2 partial counties. Of those 19 counties, the portion in Shelby county is the second largest (12% of the population). It is 58% black and 35% white. The only larger county in the district is Madison (15% of the population), and it is not lily white or very rural either: 61% white, 34% black

If we only consider the Memphis city part of the district, it is still 8% of the district by population, and it is, of course, very non-white (70% black, 24% white). There is, actually, a slightly larger than that city in the district (Jackson, in Madison county), and it is barely more than 50% white (smthg. like 51% white, 43% black). There is only one other county, besides Madison, in the district that has population bigger than the Memphis part of the district, and even that barely (Tipton, about 9% of the population), and it is, though 77% white, still has 19% of blacks. The otehr 16 counties have far smaller populations.  Overall, the district is 73% white, 22% black and 3% Hispanic and 1% Asian. Fairly white, but, for instance, the neighbhoring 7th is 82% white (as is its, much larger, share of the Shelby county).

Perhaps I should have said "98% of the voters who will be voting for Stephen Fincher" instead.

[memphis]

In any case, you'd think he would have at least bothered to look at map of his district. Apparantly he hasn't.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

The district does get a bit complicated in the Southwest corner, so I guess I can maybe understand how he didn't realize... but still, this is pretty pathetic and he should've known this.  If his campaign manager knew it, he should too.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The district does get a bit complicated in the Southwest corner, so I guess I can maybe understand how he didn't realize... but still, this is pretty pathetic and he should've known this.  If his campaign manager knew it, he should too.

Paul knew it because he managed George Flinn's primary campaign - which concentrated on the Shelby County portion of the district (and the parts east of the Tennessee river because they could also compete in the Nashville media market)