Haslam, Gibbons to skip conservative event

NASHVILLE — When the state’s largest organization of conservatives hears from 2010 Republican gubernatorial hopefuls at its annual Reagan Day Dinner in Knoxville today, Knoxville mayor — and GOP candidate — Bill Haslam will not be there.

Neither will Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons. And depending on what is happening with health care legislation in Washington, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., may not be there, either.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, only Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, was considered a certainty to attend the Tennessee Conservative Union Reagan Day Dinner. The event could attract about 300 people and includes a straw poll-like vote in which attendees will state their preferences on the candidates.

A Haslam campaign spokesman said Wednesday that Mr. Haslam cannot attend due to a previous commitment involving a Sumner County campaign fundraiser.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been working on this fundraiser for months and didn’t get the information on the Reagan Day dinner until after the fundraiser was past the point at which it could be canceled,” Haslam spokesman Jeremy Harrell said in an e-mail. “The mayor hates to miss this dinner as it is in his hometown and will draw an important group of conservative leaders from across the state.”

Tennessee Conservative Union Chairman Lloyd Daugherty said Mr. Haslam “had some kind of conflict or at least he said he did.”

Mr. Daugherty said the Haslam campaign just last week decided to be one of the dinner’s sponsors.

“I know they want to appeal to conservatives, but I don’t think there’s anybody in the conservative movement in that campaign,” he said. “I don’t think they really understood at first there’s really not another conservative event of this size that’s statewide in scope between now and the election.”

Mr. Daugherty said he also was puzzled why Mr. Gibbons isn’t attending.

Gibbons campaign manager Josh Thomas said Mr. Gibbons will not be able to attend because of a Shelby County fundraiser.

“This has just been on the books for a while,” he said.

Rep. Wamp previously said he hoped to make it to the event, but that’s dependent on when House Democrats schedule a vote on the health care overhaul bill. The congressman said he plans to vote against it.

So far during the campaign, Rep. Wamp and Lt. Gov. Ramsey have spent more time trying to appeal to conservatives, and Mr. Daugherty said both men have strong credentials.