Ramsey Contrasts TN, DC In First Ad
TN LG Ron Ramsey (R) is up with his first spot of the primary election, contrasting the way things work in DC with the way things work in Nashville.
"If you'll hang tough with me, we'll keep running our state the Tennessee way. If those guys in Washington don't like it, well, we'll just give 'em the boot," Ramsey says in the spot.
It's an interesting contrast: Ramsey is running in a GOP primary to replace Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), the largely popular 2-term incumbent. A Feb. poll taken by Middle Tennessee State Univ. showed voters approved of Bredesen's job performance by a 52%-20% margin.
Then again, Ramsey faces a tough primary against several other prominent Volunteer State politicians -- including one with a long record in DC. Rep. Zach Wamp (R) has about the same amount of money in the bank Ramsey does. And Wamp's Chattanoga base gives him a bigger platform than Ramsey's base in eastern TN.
Ramsey's first ad, "The Tennessee Way":
Ramsey hasn't raised any money in the first quarter, thanks to a law preventing state legislators from soliciting contributions during the first quarter. He'll be able to when the session ends or by May 15, whichever comes first. The primary is Aug. 5.
Wamp and Ramsey will also face Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (R), Shelby Co. DA Bill Gibbons (R) and a few other lesser-known contenders. Businessman Mike McWherter (D), son of ex-Gov. Ned McWherter (D), is the likely Dem nominee.
Though Ramsey has not done that good in this moment, then also it will be doing good in the coming days, so we should just give some time for it to come up.