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From Vinnie Vineyard
Vinnie Vineyard (independent) ran for election for Governor of Tennessee. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Vineyard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Vinnie Vineyard graduated from Gibbs High School in 1993 and from Helen Ross McNabb LADAC in 2002. His professional experience includes working as a small business owner, professional wrestler, professional musician, television ghost hunter, drug and alcohol counselor, and middle management for fortune 500 companies.[1]
Elections
2018
- See also: Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2018
General election
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Tennessee on November 6, 2018.
General election for Governor of Tennessee
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Bill Lee (R) |
59.6
|
1,336,106 |
|
|
Karl Dean (D) |
38.6
|
864,863 | |
|
|
Sherry Clark (Independent) |
0.2
|
5,198 | |
|
|
Mark Wright (Independent) |
0.2
|
4,687 | |
|
|
Patrick Whitlock (Independent) |
0.2
|
3,631 | |
|
|
Yvonne Neubert (Independent) |
0.1
|
3,070 | |
|
|
Heather Scott (Independent) |
0.1
|
2,969 | |
|
|
Mark Brown (Independent) |
0.1
|
2,841 | |
|
|
Joe Wilmoth (Independent) |
0.1
|
2,444 | |
|
|
George Blackwell Smith IV (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,550 | |
|
|
Cory King (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,502 | |
|
|
Tracy Yaste Tisdale (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,396 | |
|
|
Justin Cornett (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,217 | |
|
|
Chad Riden (Independent) |
0.0
|
1,096 | |
|
|
Robert Sawyers (Independent) |
0.0
|
1,059 | |
|
|
Vinnie Vineyard (Independent) 
|
0.0
|
1,012 | |
|
|
Rick Tyler (Independent) |
0.0
|
981 | |
|
|
Gabriel Fancher (Independent) |
0.0
|
869 | |
|
|
Sean Fleming (Independent) |
0.0
|
814 | |
|
|
Alfred Rapoza (Independent) |
0.0
|
800 | |
|
|
Jessie McDonald (Independent) |
0.0
|
755 | |
|
|
Toney Mitchell (Independent) |
0.0
|
739 | |
|
|
Mike Toews (Independent) |
0.0
|
726 | |
|
|
Matthew Koch (Independent) |
0.0
|
652 | |
|
|
Jeremy Allen Stephenson (Independent) |
0.0
|
613 | |
|
|
Tommy McAnally (Independent) |
0.0
|
609 | |
|
|
Jaron Weidner (Independent) |
0.0
|
588 | |
|
|
William Helmstetter (Independent) |
0.0
|
496 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.0
|
11 | ||
|
Total votes: 2,243,294 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Democratic primary election
Karl Dean defeated Craig Fitzhugh and Mezianne Vale Payne in the Democratic primary for Governor of Tennessee on August 2, 2018.
Democratic primary for Governor of Tennessee
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Karl Dean |
75.1
|
279,324 |
|
|
Craig Fitzhugh |
19.4
|
72,263 | |
|
|
Mezianne Vale Payne
|
5.4
|
20,253 | |
|
Total votes: 371,840 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Republican primary election
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Tennessee on August 2, 2018.
Republican primary for Governor of Tennessee
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Bill Lee |
36.7
|
289,699 |
|
|
Randy Boyd |
24.3
|
191,940 | |
|
|
Diane Black |
23.0
|
181,719 | |
|
|
Beth Harwell |
15.3
|
120,910 | |
|
|
Kay White |
0.4
|
3,181 | |
|
|
Basil Marceaux |
0.2
|
1,270 | |
|
Total votes: 788,719 | |||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Vinnie Vineyard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vineyard's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Ballot Access for minor parties, Healthcare, School Reform
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Currently I am very passionate about Healthcare reform b/c I have had a close friend die recently b/c she couldn't buy medicine. Also, I have several friends that could benefit from medical marijuana and cannabis.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I didn't think there was a political party for me until I found Ron Paul. His live and let live attitude and suspicious attitude towards anything the government gets involved inspires me to run for office and preach Libertarian ideas.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
incorruptible
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
If you are a friend of liberty, if you are a lover of peace, if you hate crony capitalism, if you are weary over the American political process, if you are sick of the big guys beating up the little guys, if you hate racism, hypocrisy, tyranny, and stupid laws, you have found a friend in the funk. My name is Vinnie Vineyard, and you may know me better as Funkmaster V from my exploits in the music (Flipside Runner/ Pimpin' Ain't Easy/ Big Fish), pro wrestling, ghost hunting (Wrestling with Ghosts on ASY TV/ Big N Funky's Ghost Show A-Go-Go), television (Snapped, Homicide Hunter, Still the King, etc), comedy skits (Big N Funky Productions), or my small business: Funkmaster V's Uptown Cabs of Renown. I am proudly running for Tennessee State Governor... for two reasons: 1) To give Libertarians, peace mongers, believers in small government, free trade, civil liberties and the politically disenfranchised a solid choice on the ballot this November. 2) To bring awareness to the ballot-access nightmare that exists in our great state of Tennessee. You see, if you want to run for political office in this state as a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, all you need is 25 signatures on your petition, and you are good to go. If you are a Libertarian, Green, Reform, Socialist, Right to Life, Constitutionalists Party member, etc... and you wanted to be recognized by your party, you need 33, 844 signatures. You read that right. 33,844 vs. 25. That's an insane amount of signatures to obtain. It took me 3 hours to get 38. This is unfair, but it is deliberate. It is set up by the Democrat/ Republican duopoly... and it needs to end. They want voters to remain confused, because they know they can't stand up to honest competition that will expose their flaws even more. I hope I can persuade you to vote for me this November. Click the links to the left to learn more about me, the ballot access nightmare in Tennessee, and the Libertarian party. You can donate, too... because freedom fighters can use all the help we can get, baby. Remember, I will be listed as Independent on the ballot... which is unfortunate... because I'm not an independent, I’m a Libertarian. Join me, and we will fight the power. And as always... believe in the Funk. Is there anything you would like to add? On August 2nd, Vineyard received 1329 write in votes (he did not appear on any August 2 ballot) which put him ahead of Basil Marceaux, who received 1279 votes and appeared on the Republican Primary ballot.[2] |
” |
| —Vinnie Vineyard[1] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of Tennessee Nashville (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
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