Over the weekend, ex-Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination to succeed termed-out Republican Gov. Bill Haslam next year. Tennessee is a very red state in federal races, and Haslam easily won the 2010 and 2014 general elections. However, voters supported Democrat Phil Bredesen, another former Nashville mayor, in the open 2002 gubernatorial race, and Dean is hoping for a similar result.
While Nashville is one of the most Democratic areas in the state, Dean is wasting no time arguing that he’s a moderate. In an interview with USA Today, Dean characterized himself as “unabashedly pro-business” and called Haslam a “very good governor.” However, Dean did not have a good relationship with labor as mayor, which could hinder him in a general election. It’s also possible that Dean will need to get through a primary. Businessman Bill Freeman, who took a close third in the race to succeed Dean as mayor in 2015, is considering running, as is state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh.
But whatever happens on the Democratic side, there will almost certainly be a much larger primary for the GOP. State Sen. Mark Green is the only declared candidate, but plenty of others are scoping out the race. Ex-Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, who is wealthy, has been publicly considering, and recently said that he could announce in the next few weeks. Other potential Republican candidates who have talked about running include wealthy Rep. Diane Black; ex-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who serves as dean of the Belmont University School of Law; state House Speaker Beth Harwell; Higher Education Commission member Bill Lee; and state Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris. There may be other Republicans who are privately mulling a bid, including possibly Sen. Bob Corker.
Monday, Feb 27, 2017 · 8:50:31 PM +00:00
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Jeff Singer
And Dean may indeed face primary opposition. State House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh has been considering running, and he told The Tennessean on Monday that, even with Dean in the race, he’s leaning towards getting in. Fitzhugh, who represents a rural seat north of Memphis, didn’t criticize Dean, instead saying that while he did a “great job and has a great reputation,” Fitzhugh thinks his time in state government and rural background will be an asset. Fitzhugh said that while he hopes to decide by the time the legislative session ends in mid-April, he might decide earlier.
However, while wealthy businessman Bill Freeman, who took a close third in the 2015 race to succeed Dean, has been considering a bid too, he announced on Monday that he'd support Fitzhugh instead. Freeman did not say what he’d do if Fitzhugh passes on the contest.