The rallies are big, the field operations extensive and the expectations for candidate visits are high.
It’s not quite Iowa, but Tennessee — a state long ignored until much later in the cycle, and then often just turned to for donations — is now one of the biggest hubs for GOP political activity in the country.
“I’m trying to remember the last time we were seeing this much attention in a Republican primary, this many people paying attention to Tennessee and Southern states,” said Tre Hargett, the secretary of state. “I can’t think of a time.”
Tennessee has 58 delegates up for grabs on March 1, a day when much of the South will vote in the so-called SEC primary. That’s the third-biggest slate of delegates available that day, following Texas and Georgia; but it’s more delegates than are available in any of the first four states.
And Tennessee has an added advantage over its Southern neighbors: its media markets. An ad buy in Knoxville, in the eastern part of the state, can also hit Kentucky, and stretches out to the borders of Virginia and North Carolina. Getting television coverage in Chattanooga, in the southeastern corner, plays in Georgia and a slice of Alabama, while a Memphis presence also gives a candidate audiences in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri. These Tennessee cities are smaller than, say, Atlanta —and in the cases of Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis, smaller markets than those found in a number of other midsize Southern cities — generally meaning that it costs less to buy a spot, and with the bleed-over into other states, it’s more cost-effective.
“We touch so many states, you get a big bang for your buck when you advertise,” said Tennessee GOP Chairman Ryan Haynes. “We’re a state uniquely positioned for a candidate to campaign in.” (continue reading)
Read more: