NASHVILLE – Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Haslam today kicked off his general election campaign, saying he intends to build upon an “energized Republican base.”
He also said he will attract independents and Democrats to beat Democrat Mike McWherter in the fall contest.
Haslam, who is Knoxville’s mayor, last week won 47 percent of the Republican primary vote to beat GOP rivals Zach Wamp and Ron Ramsey.
Haslam’s six-city tour of Tennessee included a 4:35 p.m stop today at his Chattanooga campaign headquarters.
He told reporters during a stop at the Elliston Place Soda Shop in Nashville that his focus on attracting new jobs, improving education and coping with state budget problems will remain the same in the general election contest as it was in the primary.
“I think most folks really care about the same thing,” Haslam said. “They want a governor who undertstands how to create jobs. They understand where we are on education, need to push that forward.”
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.