Hillary Clinton names Tennessee campaign team

Many prominent Tennessee Democratic lawmakers, businessmen and leaders are lining up to help Hillary Clinton in her campaign for the presidency.

U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., roughly half of the Democrats in the Tennessee legislature, and Bill Freeman, former candidate for Nashville mayor and prominent Democratic fundraiser, are some of the 46 members of the Hillary for Tennessee Leadership Council.

“Hillary Clinton may be the best prepared candidate for president we've ever had,” Cooper and Cohen said in a joint statement from the campaign. “From her commitment to the middle class, to her vast experience with domestic issues and foreign policy, she has the vision for a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive America. We’re ready to help lead her team in Tennessee."

The announcement comes in the wake of the first debate for the Democratic presidential hopefuls. Although Clinton is still considered the favorite for her party's nomination, her poll numbers have taken a hit thanks to issues surrounding her use of email as U.S. Secretary of State and the rise of Democratic challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Many, if not most, of the more than one dozen Republican presidential contenders have visited Tennessee, a state almost guaranteed to go to the GOP nominee in 2016. However, Clinton has a track record in Tennessee. She won the state when she ran against President Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary, garnering 54 percent of the vote.

As the New York Times noted in early September, Clinton is relying on Tennessee and other southern states to provide a "political firewall" to help her secure the nomination. Tennessee is one of six southern states participating in the so-called "SEC primary" on March 1. The Clinton campaign believes it can sweep all six states — Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and Virginia — while also winning delegates from early voting states South Carolina and Oklahoma, reports the Times.

Presidential hopeful O’Malley stops in Tennessee

Among the Democratic presidential candidates, former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor Martin O'Malley is the only one to have visited Nashville. The Associated Press reported in late August that Clinton could attend an event in Nashville with country music stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, but a Clinton spokesman told The Tennessean at the time the event was not confirmed. It does not appear to have happened.

Although Clinton's leadership list is missing the names of a few prominent Tennessee Democrats — Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Jeff Yarbro, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berk among them — the team includes many, if not most, of the prominent members of the state's party. Cooper and Cohen represent the entire Democratic representation for Tennessee at the federal level. House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh is one of 14 Democrats from the House supporting Clinton.

Former U.S. Reps. Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon and John Tanner are on the list, as is outgoing Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. Before running for Nashville mayor, Freeman served as a fundraising bundler for Obama. His support could certainly help Clinton raise funds in Nashville.

“In our next president, we need a leader who is willing to continue tackling the issues of our generation and beyond head on: college affordability, access to quality and affordable health care, and reforming our criminal justice system and I believe wholeheartedly that leader is Hillary Clinton,” said London Lamar, President of Tennessee Young Democrats, who is also on the council.

A full list of council members is available here.

The council will help organize Clinton campaign efforts in the state, including recruitment efforts and get-out-the-vote activities, according to the campaign.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.