In 2018, The Tennessean organized a U.S. Senate candidate debate between then-U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen.
The stakes were higher then with an open seat vacated by outgoing U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. As co-moderator, I had a front row seat to what was called a “fiery” encounter between the pair, but the debate yielded answers and exchanges from the candidates on a variety of issues, allowing voters to compare them to each other.
Blackburn, a Republican, won that race, but now that she is running for reelection in 2024, there is no sign she wants to debate her Democratic opponent state Rep. Gloria Johnson, despite efforts by The Tennessean to organize one and insatiable demand on from commenters on social media.
Of the readers who responded to an unscientific poll in The Tennessean published Monday and closed Wednesday, 90% say they want to see this Blackburn-Johnson toe-to-toe.
This poll just gauges sentiment, but it offers some insights into how voters see the race and what they consider to be their top issues.