NASHVILLE - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam endorsed GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio Thursday and is featured in the Florida senator's first Tennessee TV ad.
Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist also has endorsed Rubio as Tennessee's GOP establishment candidate, mobilizing to promote him as the top alternative to front-runner Donald Trump in Tuesday's Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.
But a note to Team Rubio, which is spending $4,000 on the ad in the Chattanooga market: You may need to step up your game.
That's because Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and a super PAC linked to a wealthy Fort Worth money manager are spending nearly 10 times as much in the Chattanooga market alone.
Cruz's campaign has spent more than $14,204 for TV ads in the state and the Stand for Trust super PAC is spending another $24,000, according to Federal Communications Commission filings.
Politico reported Thursday the Stand for Truth group purchased just over $1 million in television commercial time in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
A Texas firebrand, Cruz has pitched himself as an anti-establishment Christian conservative and tea party adherent best able to represent the party in November.
But Cruz and Rubio have run smack dab into the Trump phenomenon.
Trump so far is spending nothing in the Chattanooga market, which reaches into Northwest Georgia and portions of Alabama, also Super Tuesday states.
Cruz, meanwhile, plans to hit Nashville hard today. He has a combination rally/on-stage "interview" with popular Fox News opinion show host Sean Hannity, and later in the day, he will speak at the National Religious Broadcasters' annual convention at the Opryland Hotel.
Some Tennessee political operatives, meanwhile, are scratching their heads over why the Rubio and Cruz campaigns failed to take advantage of Tennessee early voting. An estimated 250,000 people voted in the GOP primary over the 10-day period that ended Tuesday.
Two operatives believe early ballots may account for as much as a third of the GOP vote. Cruz only put up ads in Chattanooga on the last day of early voting.
Haslam just last week told Tennessee reporters he's not sure people pay much attention to prominent officials' political endorsements.
Then Thursday, he endorsed Rubio.
"To win in November, conservatives need a candidate who inspires Americans from all backgrounds," Haslam said in a statement released by the Rubio campaign. "With Marco standing next to Hillary Clinton on a debate stage, the choice between the future and the past will be clear to every American."
He's also featured in a Rubio ad that will begin airing today
In the ad, Haslam says Rubio "will take power from Washington and send it back to states like our founders intended, because we know best how to grow high-quality jobs."
Frist said Rubio "understands that it takes more than angry rhetoric to be an effective candidate for president. If the Republican party wants to win back the White House, we need a candidate like Marco Rubio that can appeal to all types of voters."
Cruz campaign officials did not respond to a request for a copy of their ad.
According to Politico, though, the Stand for Truth spot begins with clips of Clinton, Donald Trump, and Bernie Sanders, warning that "with so much at stake, we can't afford to take a chance on this election."
The ad also highlights Cruz themes such as his evangelical background and takes a swat at Rubio over immigration policy, Politico reported.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com, 615-255-0550 or follow via Twitter @AndySher1.