Senator Bill Hagerty weighs in on tightening presidential polls

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Wednesday, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) visited workforces across Middle Tennessee as part of his fourth annual Economic Development Tour.

With the presidential election less than 90 days away, Hagerty spoke with News 2 as polls have continued to tighten between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Hagerty told News 2 that he wasn’t surprised to see a pop in the polls. The latest survey results show that across seven battleground states, Harris has 48 percent support, which is only one point higher than Trump.

“I think a pop was to be expected, but what we need to see is an actual discussion — actual interviews that are unscripted by Vice President Harris with the news media,” Hagerty said. “She needs to be tested and we need to hear what her policies are.”

Hagerty added that he thinks Trump faced challenges beyond Harris.

“He’s got to deal with the media. He’s got to deal with big tech as well,” Hagerty said. “We’ve seen the pressures against him. The media coverage is anything but fair.”

After visiting multiple companies across Middle Tennessee, Hagerty noted the toll that inflation had taken on Tennessee’s workforce.

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“Inflation is hurting not only workers — whose wages aren’t keeping up — but they’re hurting employers, who are trying to deal with the fact of their inputs and their cost structure has gone up significantly over the past 3-and-a-half years,” Hagerty said. “I hope that that stabilizes.”

On Wednesday, Hagerty started off his day visiting “Worldwide Stages” in Spring Hill, followed by a tour of Musgrave Pencil Company in Shelbyville.

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