Many of Tennessee’s top political leaders aren’t showing much leadership right now when it comes to picking the next president of the United States.

The three statewide elected officials — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Republicans, and Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen — and several high-ranking members of Tennessee’s state Senate and House are bowing out of any endorsements in Tuesday’s presidential primary.

Gov. Bredesen said he doesn’t see any need or advantage to picking a candidate in the Democratic primary.

“I’ve got a job here and I’ve certainly always gotten things done in Tennessee in a very bipartisan way,” he said. “You immediately introduce a whole bunch of new political dimensions if you get out there.”

The governor said if asked, he will “certainly do some events” with the eventual Democratic nominee this fall.

Sens. Alexander and Corker and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, all Republicans, backed former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson before he withdrew from the race in late January.

The lieutenant governor met last week with Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee and later spoke approvingly of Mr. Huckabee’s “conservative values.”

“But I’m by no means going to endorse anyone right now,” said Lt. Gov. Ramsey, R-Blountville.

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., has remained on the sidelines, too. His son, Weston Wamp, is on the ballot as a Thompson delegate.

Mr. Thompson himself has yet to make an endorsement. Neither has former U.S. Senate Majority Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who once had positioned himself to run for president in 2008.

State House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, D-Covington, recently attended a Nashville rally for Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton, hosted by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. But the speaker repeatedly refused to say whether that means he supports Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y.

“I am interested in getting members elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, Democrats, and that’s where my efforts are going to be,” he said.

Pressed on the issue, Speaker Naifeh said, “I tell you what, maybe (Al) Gore’s going to get back in.”

Mr. Gore, a Tennessean who was Democrats’ 2000 nominee, has made no endorsement this year either. In 2004, Mr. Gore endorsed Howard Dean, only to watch Mr. Dean go into political free fall.

Closer to home, state Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, said she is not publicly endorsing anyone in the Democratic presidential primary. Her district, she said, is divided “half and half” between U.S. Sen. Clinton and U.S. Sen. Obama, D-Ill.

But newly elected state Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, is not shy about his support of Sen. Obama, whom Mr. Berke got to know while attending the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Obama was a lecturer at the school.

“Most of my friends were in his seminar so we spent some time together, and I was very impressed by him personally before he was ever a U.S. senator,” Sen. Berke said.