Donn Jones, candidate for Congress in Tennessee’s 8th district, announces he will not run in the Republican primary, instead switching to an Independent to run as a ‘Tea Party’-aligned candidate in the general election. In his press release, Jones is critical of the two party system and of the GOP’s lack of commitment to conservative values.

I’m not sure what Jones’s motives are. If he is attempting to advance the conservatism in Congress and defeat the Obama agenda, then this move will probably have the exact opposite effect, as he’s likely to  siphon votes away from the Republican nominee, ultimately helping the Democrats to retain this seat. If, however, Jones’s goal is simply media attention and self promotion (the more likely scenario, in my opinion), well, he’ll certainly succeed at that.