has won re-nomination easily by more than 2-1 over her strongly anti-Islamic challenger.
US Representative Diane Black won the Republican primary with 69 percent of the vote over Lou Ann Zelenik, noted for her fierce opposition to the Islamic Center built in Murfrees-boro. The mosque is not in the congressional district where the two women were competing.
Zelenik was backed by a wealthy conservative businessman from Nashville, who paid for ads attacking Black over the mosque and Islam. Black herself spoke against the mosque. The charge was that Black had not opposed the mosque vigorously enough.
Zelenik pledged during the campaign that if elected she would “work to stop the Islamization of our society, and do everything possible to prevent Sharia Law from circumventing our laws and our Constitution.”
Although Black complained that the mosque’s approval was rushed through by local county government officials, she said she would respect the US constitutional right to freedom of religion.
“Tonight, voters sent a message that they are happy with the way they are being represented in Congress, and I am honored to have their vote of confidence,” Black said at her victory celebration.
Black and Zelenik competed for the nomination two years ago when the seat was open. Black won that primary by a mere 283 votes.
Black is virtually assured of re-election in November from the rural Tennessee district because no Democrat has entered the race and she faces only token opposition from an independent.