BILL HOBBS, who covers Tennessee politics so I don’t have to, says that it’s now becoming clear that the income tax issue impacted the election. I’m sort of surprised to see Tennessee writers on the subject ignoring the Massachusetts anti-income tax initiative’s staggeringly high margin.

UPDATE: Frank Cagle reports that Democrat Phil Bredesen won the governorship because of support from East Tennessee Republicans. Cagle — who managed the campaign of Bredesen’s opponent, Van Hilleary — isn’t happy about that, but this certainly underscores the point I made earlier that Democrats elsewhere could learn from Bredesen’s campaign. I also note that Bredesen made a strong push for rural voters, which many Democratic strategists have said is a waste of time. But it seems to have paid off for him. Here’s what I said about Hilleary and Bredesen shortly before the election.