TN-2: Duncan retiring

[SATW]

Tim Burchett seems like a good potential candidate for this seat.

Duncan is one of the few libertarian and/or Paleoconservative members of Congress I have respect for. He has had a long career of service. Hope he enjoys retirement.

[SATW]

Burchetts views? More "pragmatic conservative" or "extremely conservative"?

from my quick glance of his social media, he seems to be more right-wing than Haslam but less right-wing than Diane Black.

[SATW]

I always found it strange that these ancestrally GOP districts that would elect progressive Republicans from the 1850s to the early 1900s continued to elect Republicans even as the national party became increasingly right-wing. Are voters in these kinds of areas (Western Maryland, Southeastern Kentucky, and Northwestern Arkansas, to give a few other examples) simply reflecting partisan loyalty? Or is it something else?

Previous partisan loyalty and current geographical/political trends essentially-Eastern Tennessee is a better fit for Southern Strategy GOP then say Upstate New York.

 Eastern Tennessee's conservatism also seems to be different than the rest of the South; more of a rugged individualism than populism more in line with the plains states.

very interesting. thanks for sharing