TN Horse Race for Governor's House Begins
Carol Chen
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News/Features
November elections may seem far away, but that has not stopped the race for Tennessee governor from heating up.
The incumbent, Phil Bredesen (D), is term-limited and cannot run again so we have a number of candidates.
When Bill Frist decided not to run in early January, it completely changed the game. A Chattanooga Times poll found that 58% of Tennesseans have a favorable opinion of the former U.S. Senator who currently holds joint appointments at Vanderbilt with the Medical School and Owen. While observers believe that Republicans have an upper hand in the election, the absence of Frist may be a boon to Democrats.
To help you be more informed come November 6th, here is a quick overview of our choices. These only include the major-party candidates that have announced their candidacy, although it is fairly certain that one of these will win this year. Significant people not running are also listed.
Republicans
Bill Gibbons
Shelby Co. District Attorney General
Career: Vanderbilt B.A. and J.D. (and president of the Vanderbilt College Republicans), private practice law, Memphis City Council 1984-87, appointed to district attorney position for Shelby County (which includes Memphis) in 1996 and won the seat by election in 1998.
Positions: against state income tax, strong interest in crime prevention, supports death penalty and stronger sentences, against plea bargaining for violent crimes, promotes charter schools.
Prognosis: solid candidate who has the benefit of a more focused platform. He announced his candidacy right after Frist declined to run.
Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey
Career: B.S. East Tennessee State, advisory board of the Farm Credit Association, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for Sullivan County 1996- present, Speaker of the Senate, Tennessee Lieutenant Governor (by statute granted to Speaker of the Senate).
Positions: pro-life, supporter of right to-carry, and wildlife preservation, has supported cuts on food taxes, encouraged tort reform as a means of fixing health care
system.
Prognosis: strong contender who will appeal to those primarily concerned with economic recovery. He has the benefit of already working closely with the gubernatorial office and the state senate.
U.S. Representative Zach Wamp
Career: successful real estate broker, chairman of Hamilton County (Chattanooga) Republican Party, U.S. House of Representatives member for Tennessee's Third Congressional District (1995-present).
Positions: strong gun rights advocate, as member of the House Appropriations Committee has nursed projects such as repairing Tennessee Valley Authority dams and fighting methamphetamine abuse, proposed putting the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
Prognosis: Wamp will appeal to the ideologically conservative voters, which will help him in a race that observers say favor the Republicans, although his admitted past drug addiction may erode that support.
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam
Career: vice president of family business Pilot Corporation, mayor of Knoxville.
Positions: pro-life, heavily focused on job recruitment, supports education reform that encourages growth of homeschooling and charter schools, against a state income tax, favors imposing monetary limits on medical malpractice lawsuits.
Prognosis: leading contender for the Republican nomination, has collected the most amount of money through fundraising, endorsed by Howard Baker (long-standing Republican from Tennessee).
Democrats
Senator Jim Kyle
Career: J.D. University of Memphis, Tennessee State Senate Minority Leader with membership in the Finance and Judiciary committees among others.
Positions: emphasis on graduating students, creating jobs and lifting Tennessee's economic status, increasing per capita income.
Prognosis: Probably the strongest Democrat in the race. He considers his strongest opponent to be Mike McWherter.
Kim McMillan
Career: J.D. University of Tennessee, Tennessee House of Representatives 1994-2006, Majority Leader 2002-2006, Senior Advisor to Governor Bredesen, Political Science Professor at Austin Peay, Board of Vanderbilt's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital.
Positions: expansion of health care, supported increasing minimum wage while representing Clarksville, environmental protection.
Prognosis: McMillan is probably behind in the Democratic race with less name recognition or fundraising, though not completely out of the picture.
Mike McWherter
Career: J.D. Vanderbilt University, private practice law, chairman of First State Bank, Board of Directors for the Jackson Energy Authority.
Positions: supports ban on unmarried couples adopting children, opposes a state income tax, supports building on Tennessee's existing presence in automotive and healthcare industries.
Prognosis: McWherter is at a disadvantage for never having been elected to a government position. However, as the son of former governor Ned McWherter, he has the advantage of strong name recognition.
Not Running
Harold Ford, Jr. (D)
Ford, whom many of us have seen as an adjunct Political Science professor here (such as last year's PSCI 150 U.S. Elections) was a member of the House of Representatives for Tennessee's Ninth Congressional district from 1997-2007. He can claim residence in New York and is currently considering challenging Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) for the seat she inherited from Hillary Rodham Clinton that is up for special election this November.
Bill Frist (R)
The former Tennessee senator (1995- 2007) and Senate Majority leader has name recognition and the personal fortune to run an expensive campaign even without fundraising. Before he entered politics, he was an accomplished doctor and is currently a professor at the Vanderbilt Owen and medical schools.
He is considered a leader in pro-life legislation and worldwide AIDS awareness. Frist has announced he does not intend to run for Tennessee governor in the foreseeable future.
Tim McGraw (...country singer)
Rumors popped up that McGraw was considering a career change, but his rep shot it down. "It's something he is interested in, but not for 2010. Later in life." This is simply too bad, as Tennessee could surely benefit.
The incumbent, Phil Bredesen (D), is term-limited and cannot run again so we have a number of candidates.
When Bill Frist decided not to run in early January, it completely changed the game. A Chattanooga Times poll found that 58% of Tennesseans have a favorable opinion of the former U.S. Senator who currently holds joint appointments at Vanderbilt with the Medical School and Owen. While observers believe that Republicans have an upper hand in the election, the absence of Frist may be a boon to Democrats.
To help you be more informed come November 6th, here is a quick overview of our choices. These only include the major-party candidates that have announced their candidacy, although it is fairly certain that one of these will win this year. Significant people not running are also listed.
Republicans
Bill Gibbons
Shelby Co. District Attorney General
Career: Vanderbilt B.A. and J.D. (and president of the Vanderbilt College Republicans), private practice law, Memphis City Council 1984-87, appointed to district attorney position for Shelby County (which includes Memphis) in 1996 and won the seat by election in 1998.
Positions: against state income tax, strong interest in crime prevention, supports death penalty and stronger sentences, against plea bargaining for violent crimes, promotes charter schools.
Prognosis: solid candidate who has the benefit of a more focused platform. He announced his candidacy right after Frist declined to run.
Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey
Career: B.S. East Tennessee State, advisory board of the Farm Credit Association, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for Sullivan County 1996- present, Speaker of the Senate, Tennessee Lieutenant Governor (by statute granted to Speaker of the Senate).
Positions: pro-life, supporter of right to-carry, and wildlife preservation, has supported cuts on food taxes, encouraged tort reform as a means of fixing health care
system.
Prognosis: strong contender who will appeal to those primarily concerned with economic recovery. He has the benefit of already working closely with the gubernatorial office and the state senate.
U.S. Representative Zach Wamp
Career: successful real estate broker, chairman of Hamilton County (Chattanooga) Republican Party, U.S. House of Representatives member for Tennessee's Third Congressional District (1995-present).
Positions: strong gun rights advocate, as member of the House Appropriations Committee has nursed projects such as repairing Tennessee Valley Authority dams and fighting methamphetamine abuse, proposed putting the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
Prognosis: Wamp will appeal to the ideologically conservative voters, which will help him in a race that observers say favor the Republicans, although his admitted past drug addiction may erode that support.
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam
Career: vice president of family business Pilot Corporation, mayor of Knoxville.
Positions: pro-life, heavily focused on job recruitment, supports education reform that encourages growth of homeschooling and charter schools, against a state income tax, favors imposing monetary limits on medical malpractice lawsuits.
Prognosis: leading contender for the Republican nomination, has collected the most amount of money through fundraising, endorsed by Howard Baker (long-standing Republican from Tennessee).
Democrats
Senator Jim Kyle
Career: J.D. University of Memphis, Tennessee State Senate Minority Leader with membership in the Finance and Judiciary committees among others.
Positions: emphasis on graduating students, creating jobs and lifting Tennessee's economic status, increasing per capita income.
Prognosis: Probably the strongest Democrat in the race. He considers his strongest opponent to be Mike McWherter.
Kim McMillan
Career: J.D. University of Tennessee, Tennessee House of Representatives 1994-2006, Majority Leader 2002-2006, Senior Advisor to Governor Bredesen, Political Science Professor at Austin Peay, Board of Vanderbilt's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital.
Positions: expansion of health care, supported increasing minimum wage while representing Clarksville, environmental protection.
Prognosis: McMillan is probably behind in the Democratic race with less name recognition or fundraising, though not completely out of the picture.
Mike McWherter
Career: J.D. Vanderbilt University, private practice law, chairman of First State Bank, Board of Directors for the Jackson Energy Authority.
Positions: supports ban on unmarried couples adopting children, opposes a state income tax, supports building on Tennessee's existing presence in automotive and healthcare industries.
Prognosis: McWherter is at a disadvantage for never having been elected to a government position. However, as the son of former governor Ned McWherter, he has the advantage of strong name recognition.
Not Running
Harold Ford, Jr. (D)
Ford, whom many of us have seen as an adjunct Political Science professor here (such as last year's PSCI 150 U.S. Elections) was a member of the House of Representatives for Tennessee's Ninth Congressional district from 1997-2007. He can claim residence in New York and is currently considering challenging Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) for the seat she inherited from Hillary Rodham Clinton that is up for special election this November.
Bill Frist (R)
The former Tennessee senator (1995- 2007) and Senate Majority leader has name recognition and the personal fortune to run an expensive campaign even without fundraising. Before he entered politics, he was an accomplished doctor and is currently a professor at the Vanderbilt Owen and medical schools.
He is considered a leader in pro-life legislation and worldwide AIDS awareness. Frist has announced he does not intend to run for Tennessee governor in the foreseeable future.
Tim McGraw (...country singer)
Rumors popped up that McGraw was considering a career change, but his rep shot it down. "It's something he is interested in, but not for 2010. Later in life." This is simply too bad, as Tennessee could surely benefit.
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Moving Pods
posted 3/10/10 @ 3:50 PM CST
Its going to be a pretty close horse race though. The governors house is seriously up for grabs. I don't know what the outcome will be.
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