NASHVILLE - In the first television advertisement of his gubernatorial campaign, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, is promising to give the federal government "the boot" if officials dislike how things are done in Tennessee.
The 30-second ad is running on broadcast and cable television in several parts of the state outside Chattanooga. The campaign expects to spend about $120,000 in the first week.
The spot shows Lt. Gov. Ramsey inside the Tennessee Capitol, comparing the "Washington way" of doing business - which he defines as "more spending, more taxes and more debt" - with the "Tennessee way" in which you "tighten your belt, be conservative, live within your means."
"Keep running our state the Tennessee way. If those guys in Washington don't like it, well, we'll give them the boot." It ends with a shot of Mr. Ramsey's boot-clad left foot stomping on a step.
Sam Edelen, a spokesman for Ramsey rival U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said Lt. Gov. Ramsey doesn't mention state spending has "nearly tripled" since he was first elected to the legislature. He said Lt. Gov. Ramsey is "trying to rewrite history."
Ramsey spokeswoman Rachel Taylor said Tennessee has balanced its budget "under Lt. Gov. Ramsey's leadership."
She said Rep. Wamp "and his Washington colleagues have ... transformed a projected $219 billion surplus into record deficits."