Bredesen Thinks He Could Have Taken Down Alexander

By Kleinheider Posted on August 29, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Ed Cromer reports:

Last year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried to persuade him to take on Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Maryville) in this year’s election. Bredesen professes confidence he could have won.

He also thought briefly about running for the open Senate seat two years earlier, before Harold Ford Jr. made his decision, but he opted for reelection instead.

Accustomed to managing, Bredesen isn’t sure he’d be comfortable as a legislator. Then again, former governor Alexander used to say the same thing.

One thing is sure. Bredesen doesn’t plan to retire when he leaves the governor’s office in January 2011. He would consider further public service. And he can also see himself returning to the business world.

While down-playing national ambitions, Bredesen has hinted many times he harbors them. He made several published lists of potential vice presidential candidates over the past year. It’s hardly a secret he’d have jumped at the chance to be Barack Obama’s running mate.

He’s made the most of opportunities for national exposure in his second term. But he’s also taken the attitude that odds of getting on a national ticket are slim, and the best way to improve his chances is to keep his “nose to the grindstone” and do a good job as governor.

SEE ALSO: Jackson Baker

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