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By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning, Lookout readers:

What with the constant bombardment of campaign ads on TV and social media and the near-continual beep of your phone as candidates ask for money, it’s sometimes hard to remember there are other issues in play at play in Tennessee.

Witness, the Joint Capital Tourism Board, created by the Tennessee Legislature with a board appointed by state Republican leaders to redistribute money from Nashville’s touristy Broadway entertainment district Adam Friedman reports on a recent board meeting into which former Gov. Bill Haslam injected some sage wisdom about the board bailing out individual businesses, even as those businesses wage public PR campaigns against higher taxes.

In other news:

  • Ad watch: Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, the Democratic nominee for Congressional District 5, rolled out two new ads attacking Republican nominee and former state agriculture commissioner Charlie Hatcher.

  • One, titled “Hatch,” slams Hatcher for backing Trump policies, including tariffs and the Iran War. The second, called “Snooze,” plays on Hatcher’s credentials as a farmer and questions his record as Ag commissioner.

  • Ad watch: An anti-David Hatley political action committee is upping the ante in the gubernatorial race. The Choose Freedom PAC is airing an ad accusing Hatley, a hot tub manufacturer, of outsourcing business to China.

  • In case you missed it: Adam Friedman was on CNN Sunday morning talking about the upcoming governor’s race.

  • Early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm election begins in Tennessee on Wednesday. Not sure who is on the ballot? Check out our voter guide, which has information on every candidate from the governor’s race at the top of the ticket through the downballot.

THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY

 Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, left, a member of the Joint Capitol Tourism Board, expressed concerns about giving direct grants to businesses downtown. Haslam is pictured with sportscaster and Nashville resident Jim Nantz at the May 19 announcement the Super Bowl will be held in Nashville in 2030. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

While Nashville’s downtown bar owners seek bailout from new tourism board, Haslam voices concerns

by Adam Friedman
​A board designed to oversee the distribution of excess tax revenue in downtown Nashville met for the first time earlier this month, with the state’s former governor voicing concerns about giving money directly to businesses.

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NEWS AND NOTES
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT

President Donald Trump made his second visit to Tennessee in as many weeks, stopping in Clarksville on Oct. 10, 2026, to urge Republicans to vote in the upcoming midterm election. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

by J. Holly McCall

The rainy remnants of Hurricane Isaias didn’t deter Tennessee Republicans from turning out Saturday to hear President Donald Trump decry state Democrats as “communists” and “socialists,” and praise Tennessee’s federal delegation and the success of the Memphis Safe Task Force. 

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FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT

Randy Spivey and Luke Ihnen, lawyers for Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike, update a gaggle of local and national media on her condition after a Sept. 30 botched execution. (Photo: John/Partipilo)

by Michael Kiefer, Arizona Mirror

Pharmaceutical companies that don’t sell drugs to be used in executions, a “gray market,” near-waterboarding: the failed execution of Tennessee death row inmate Christ Pike has exposed the grim science of lethal injection.

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COMMENTARY

The last time U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn participated in a public forum, unconstricted by partisan politics, was furiThe last time U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn participated in a public forum, unconstricted by partisan politics, was during the 2018 U.S. Senate race with former Gov. Phil Bredesen. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Debates have changed the course of U.S. history. They could change Tennessee’s.

by J. Holly McCall
Once a staple of politics, it has become increasingly difficult over the last decade to hold Tennessee candidates accountable through public forums. At least one event will go forward, with or without all the candidates.

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ICYMI
COMMENTARY

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