Into The Great Wide Open: Haslam’s A Go

By Kleinheider Posted on January 6, 2009 at 7:55 am

No surprise here but it is now official. We have a three man race for governor on the Republican side:

“My family and I are going into this with our eyes wide open,” Haslam, 50, said with his wife and children standing around him.

This morning’s announcement at a breakfast for the media begins a two-day tour of the state, according to Jeremy Harrell, who served as campaign coordinator for Sen. Lamar Alexander’s 2008 re-election campaign and who has been retained to help organize Haslam’s campaign.

The “Breakfast with Bill” question-and-answer event at Pete’s Coffee Shop, 540 Union Ave., is the first of similar media sessions scheduled later today in Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities. On Wednesday, Haslam also plans to visit Nashville, Jackson and Memphis.

More via press release:

“In these challenging economic times, Tennessee needs a leader who has experience managing a budget and prioritizing resources,” Mayor Haslam said. “We need a leader who can restrain spending while creating good jobs, making our schools stronger, and ensuring Tennesseans have access to affordable healthcare. I believe my executive experience in private business and as Mayor has taught me how to be this leader. Over the course of the campaign, I look forward to sharing my experiences and ideas with citizens across our great state.”

Mayor Haslam also outlined the current challenges facing the state. Specifically, the Mayor cited Governor Bredesen’s projection that the state may face a budget deficit of nearly $1 billion next year and statistics showing that Tennessee students rank 39th out of 50 states on national assessment tests. The Mayor will be discussing his ideas for how to tackle these and other challenges facing the state as he travels to Tennessee’s 95 counties over the course of the campaign.

Mayor Haslam’s announcement in Knoxville is part of a two-day statewide tour that includes stops in Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Jackson, and Memphis.

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Tags: 2010 Governor's race, Bill Frist, Bill Gobbons, Bill Haslam, Zach Wamp