He'll face Democrat James Baxter in the Aug. 3 primary, with the winner facing Republican Jimmy Eldridge in November. In the past, such competition would have been swept under the rug, but as a result of a recent redistricting ruling, Kisber has lost his Democratic and black voting base, gaining the conservative and white Jackson suburbs and rural Madison County. Kisber has been criticized for changing positions on the income tax issue, but he has maintained that he remained undecided until he publicly announced his position in April, saying he would oppose the tax because of the strong opinions of his constituents. It was a decision that drew harsh criticism from Gov. Don Sundquist, who blamed Kisber and Majority Leader Jere Hargrove, D-Cookeville, for the defeat of tax reform. There was no vision about how this was going to make my life better.
Nobody wants to pay more for the same.
Most people don't wake up in the morning and worry about the elasticity of Tennessee's revenue structure. Kisber said future priorities in the legislature would revolve around the issues of education, economic development and healthcare, including the passage of a Patients' Bill of Rights. He said a commitment to education was particularly important because it would impact the state's ability to recruit jobs and further economic development. Kisber favors increasing teacher salaries and increasing early childhood initiatives. On Monday, Kisber received the endorsement of the Tennessee Education Association.