(The following is an excerpt from the May issue of the Main Street Journal, a Memphis newsmagazine, covering the 7th Congressional Republican Primary race between U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn and Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood.)

The Politics of Locality: Could Shelby County pose a problem for Congressman Marsha Blackburn?

By: Jonathan Lindberg

On a Thursday morning in April, a group of reporters gathered together at Germantown City Hall to meet with U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss an Anti-Earmark Pledge that Blackburn was signing.

The Earmark Pledge was being presented by a group called Freedom Works, a political action group from Washington chaired by Dick Armey, the former House Majority Leader. Armey arrived that morning wearing a full-sized cowboy hat and a suit. He looked every bit the former Texas Congressman, despite suburban surroundings.

“The earmark system in Washington is broken,” he said, showing little signs of a Texas accent