Bledsoe County Sheriff Jimmy Morris and 10th District DA Steve Crump are among a group of sheriffs and district attorneys supporting Republican U.S. Rep. Diane Black's campaign for governor, according to a campaign news release.
Black's Law and Order Coalition of 23 Tennessee sheriffs and 11 district attorneys "have endorsed Diane's campaign for governor and signed on to provide guidance on law enforcement issues," the release states.
Other East Tennessee officials on the list include Jimmy Dunn, the 4th District DA who is the special prosecutor in the case against Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson; Knox County sheriff Jimmy "JJ" Jones and Russell Johnson, DA in the 9th Districct of Loudon, Meigs, Morgan and Roane counties.
"There may be a field of Republicans in the governor's race, but we believe there is only one true law and order candidate. Diane has a proven record of protecting our Tennessee values and those who enforce them." Johnson said in the release.
Black, who is chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee, is campaigning for the Republican nomination to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam in the 2018 election.
She faces former state Economic and Community Development director Randy Boyd; state House Speaker Beth Harwell, state Sen. Mae Beavers, businessman Bill Lee and Realtor Kay White in the August 2018 primary.
The Democratic candidates in the race so far include former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh.