Gubernatorial candidate Diane Black won a straw poll at the Davidson County Republican Party picnic Saturday, a blog reported.
U.S. Rep. Black (R-TN) received 116 votes in the governor’s primary straw poll, according to a blog called “A Disgruntled Republican in Nashville.” Rod Williams is the author.
Second place went to Bill Lee, 106 votes. Other results were: Beth Harwell, 28 votes, Kay White, 11 votes and Randy Boyd, 2 votes.
Williams says it appears many of the candidates brought their voters to the picnic at the Centennial Park event shelter.
“Still, I was surprised that Randy Boyd only got two votes,” Williams said.
About 300 people attended. Black spoke at the gathering, while other candidates’ representatives also spoke.
The picnic straw poll is merely the latest forecasting in the Tennessee gubernatorial race.
Boyd led Black by 32 percent to 27 percent among likely Republican gubernatorial primary voters in a Tennessee Star poll released June 29.
The battle for the Republican nomination for governor is a three-way race, the poll showed, with Lee surging into a strong third position, with 20 percent. Harwell is no longer a factor in the Republican gubernatorial primary, coming in a distant fourth position with only 7 percent of the vote. Only 13 percent of poll respondents said they were undecided.
The poll of 1,040 likely Tennessee Republican primary voters was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Polling and Research.
Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said that the 13 percent undecided total means candidates are firming up their base.
“Each candidate has essentially secured those who like them, now they have to pull people away from their opponents in order to move the dial which is why you are starting to see the attack ads fly,” he said.
Early voting began on July 13 and continues until July 28.
After the first two days of early voting on Friday and Sunday, turnout appears to be higher than in previous primary elections.
Primary election day is Thursday, August 2.
