Tenn. Dems disavow Senate nominee, cite hate group

Senate candidate Mark Clayton, D-Tenn., in a photo from his campaign's Facebook page

/ Facebook

(CBS/AP) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Democratic Party is disavowing the nomination of Mark Clayton to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, saying the little-known candidate belongs to a hate group.

Clayton, a floor installer, received twice the votes of his nearest competitor in a seven-candidate Democratic primary Thursday.

The party said in a statement Friday that Clayton is associated with a known hate group in Washington, D.C., and the party "disavows his candidacy."

"The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself," the Tennessee Democratic Party's statement said. "Many Democrats in Tennessee knew nothing about any of the candidates in the race, so they voted for the person at the top of the ticket. Unfortunately, none of the other Democratic candidates were able to run the race needed to gain statewide visibility or support."

"Mark Clayton is associated with a known hate group in Washington, D.C., and the Tennessee Democratic Party disavows his candidacy, will not do anything to promote or support him in any way, and urges Democrats to write-in a candidate of their choice in November."

Clayton is vice president of Public Advocate of the United States, which calls itself a conservative advocacy group.

The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the organization an anti-gay hate group.

Clayton said in an interview before the election that privacy issues are his main concern and that he thinks people are being "over-identified by the government and tracked."

[tvwatcher5345]

i wonder if clayton (who looks a little delicate himself) approves of michele bachmann's gay marriage to her husband?

[Gimmeafb]

"Many Democrats in Tennessee knew nothing about any of the candidates in the race, so they voted for the person at the top of the ticket."

So, that's what it takes, eh? Wow. That says a lot about the intelligence of a majority of democratic voters, doesn't it?

[KPeters_from_UK]

Wow!

Not just Democrats. Many people vote for their Party whether it be Republican or Democrat. Says a lot about the masses.

[krotec54]

They call them, Blue Dogs Democrats, conservative branch of the democrats. They believe in traditional marriage. Civil partnership should be for the same-sex group. Its not hate, its just the right thing to do.

[hankvreeland]

"a well known hate group" that shall forever be nameless. Excellent reporting as would be expected from CBS.

[byrdh5n1]

"Clayton is vice president of Public Advocate of the United States" Learn to read.

[joe1022joe]

I know nothing about the organization to which Clayton belongs. On the other hand the Southern Poverty Law Center strikes me as a left wing hit-group. The press seems to be in love with the Southern Poverty Law Center, but that merely reflects the basic lefty bias of the majority of the press. It is the junk yard dog member of the lefty legal community in the United States. If you hold views that differ from the lefty politically correct party line and you form or join an organization that reflects your views, that orgainzation will sooner or later appear on a list of bad guy prepared by the Southern Poverty Law Center. You are a bad guy if you don't agree with them.

[1American]

Actually anyone who doesn't agree with the Southern Poverty Law Center is classified as a "hate group". The same holds true with the mainstream media and it now appears the Democrat Party is just as biased.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Clayton is vice president of Public Advocate of the United States, which calls itself a conservative advocacy group.

How can a person be a democrat if he belongs to a CONSERVATIVE adovacy group? Every point this group supports is the antithesis of the Democratic Party:
The organization has a platform based on a number of issues:[1]

Support for a Federal Marriage Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would ban same-sex marriage nationwide

Reimplementation of school prayer

Expansion of faith-based initiatives

Opposition to abortion

Support for the Boy Scouts of America and other similar morality and leadership organizations

Tax cuts and elimination of "pork barrel spending"

Opposition to homosexuality (the organization's activism campaigns focus largely on removing sexual orientation as a protected class and promote protection for ex-gay therapy participants, and its 2012 political candidate survey is based largely on opposition to gay activism).


I think this guy is a plant. He isn't a true Democrat. Didn't this happen before two years ago where some "Democrat" won the nomination in the South somewhere and it turned out he was a fake?

[joe1022joe]

Ever heard the phrase "conservative Democrat?" There used to be lots of them. Not so many any more.

[BWB2020]

It happens that there are conservative Democrats, but not the fake racists masquerading as "conservatives" like this one.

This clown simply knows that his ilk have so polluted the name "conservative", and the GOP brand, that he knew he couldn't be elected under those affiliations.

[matt6052]

I'd have to agree that the definition of "hate group" is getting bent pretty badly by the Democrats. Polls show that 1 out of 3 Democrats do not support gay marriage nationally, and gay rights groups called the Chick-fil-A owner a supporter of hate groups because he adheres to the traditional view of marriage.

The next round comes when it is time for the Democratic State Central Committee to certify the primary election results.

[BWB2020]

The difference is that the Democrat answer to gay marriage, abortion, and such is not to engage personally in such activities, while the right wants to use the law to forbid others who don't share their insecurity, from engaging in them.

[matt6052]

BWB, you speak for only 65% of self-identified Democrats nationally, and I'd bet it's even less in Tennessee.

Remember, 40% of West Virginians voted for an incarcerated federal inmate over Obama. In Kentucky, "Uncommitted" got about the same amount, and in Arkansas a perennial candidate received 41% against Obama. Tennesee shares borders with Kentucky and Arkansas.

The explanation that his views are not mainstream among Democrats in Tennesee is not well founded in the evidence. Looks like the grass roots are being steam rolled.

[johnlockesghost]

To hell with the democratic party, the people have spoken.

[nohater]

a floor installer gets the nod from voters? wonder what his qualifications are, what level of education he has reached and if he has been a floor installer all of his working life. wait one, it's Tennessee so isn't this normal for that state?

[retmw1]

The same qualifications as "Joe the plumbers helper" that is running for congress as a republican.

[Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists]

They're just anti-gay? What about the ******* and Jews? Seriously, he doesn't seem all that hateful. ***** and ****** are ok with him? Since when did the Tennessee Democratic Party turn liberal? I'm with them, but I didn't expect it. So they're giving up on this guy because he doesn't like queers. Well most of Tennessee agrees with him. The US Senate doesn't have an extra seat to be given up so easily, so whose bright idea was it to give up on this guy so quickly? I am 100% in favor of equal rights for queers, btw. Someone messed up in a big way.