TN Dems Disavow Own Nominee

Tennessee Democrats were left reeling when conservative candidate Mark Clayton won the state's Democratic nomination for US Senate. On Saturday, less than a day later, the party decided to disavow Clayton entirely, alleging that he's a member of an anti-gay hate group. Clayton handily beat his closest challenger for the nomination, and will face off against Republican Senator Bob Corker. "The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself,” the party stated. “Many Democrats in Tennessee knew nothing about any of the candidates in the race ... The Tennessee Democratic Party disavows his candidacy, will not do anything to promote or support him in any way." Clayton responded by defending his work for the pro-life, pro-marriage group Public Advocate for the United States—the group that drew the Democrats' ire. He also told The Tennessean, "I have good friends who are liberals."