NASHVILLE - After first brushing off Republican gubernatorial rival Zach Wamp's televised attack ads, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam struck back Thursday with his own new TV ad.
In it, he accuses U.S. Rep. Wamp, R-Tenn., of deceiving voters about his record as mayor and charges that the congressman left a trail of broken promises during nearly 16 years in Washington, D.C.
"If you've seen Zach Wamp's television commercials or received his e-mails, you've been misled about my record and his," Mr. Haslam says in the 60-second spot. "I'm Bill Haslam. I've tried to focus on the issues in this campaign for governor, but enough's enough."
Mr. Haslam said Rep. Wamp "knows I support the Second Amendment. He knows that Knoxville - where I'm the mayor - has the lowest property tax rate in over 50 years."
Rep. Wamp "wants to talk about my money because he doesn't want to talk about what he's been doing with yours," Mr. Haslam said.
He charges that Rep. Wamp, a Chattanoogan, "spent his career in Washington, broke his promise on term limits and special-interest contributions, voted for billions in earmarks, helped run up the federal debt to record highs, never met a payroll or balanced a budget."
Rep. Wamp began last week airing an ad that called Mr. Haslam a "billionaire oil man who price-gouged working Tennesseans when we were hurting the most."
It also charged that Mr. Haslam hiked property taxes 15 percent in Knoxville and also "teamed up" with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg "to take away our guns."
Wamp spokesman Sam Edelen said that "Mayor Haslam's doubletalk and hypocrisy really caught up with him."
"This may be the first time in state history when a candidate for governor has one TV ad on the air pledging not to engage in attacks and another one running at the same time, lashing out wildly as Tennesseans learn the truth about his record," Mr. Edelen said.
An earlier ad had Mr. Haslam appearing with his wife, Crissy, and saying they had decided this would be a "campaign of ideas." He said he was "keeping to that even in light of the ads and the e-mail some opponents are putting out, attacking me pretty hard."
Asked whether the new Haslam attack ad indicates the Wamp attack is gaining traction, Haslam spokesman David Smith said, "We have a lead and intend to keep it."
Rep. Wamp did reverse himself on a pledge regarding acceptance of political action committee funds as he weighed running for the U.S. Senate in 2005.
He also broke a 1994 pledge to serve no more than six terms in Congress when he ran in 2006 and 2008. Last year, he said one reason he was leaving his safe congressional seat to run for governor "was because I never felt whole" about running for those terms.
On Wednesday, the third major Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, launched his first ad, attacking both Rep. Wamp and Mr. Haslam. It was too recent to be included in the Wamp ad, The Associated Press quoted Mr. Smith saying.
Early voting in the primary ends July 31.