ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE – Fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates are ramping up their attacks on fundraising leader Bill Haslam in the aftermath of the Knoxville mayor’s announcement that he is launching a statewide television advertising campaign.
At a candidate forum hosted by The Associated Press and the Tennessee Press Association on Thursday, Memphis prosecutor Bill Gibbons and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga took Haslam to task for refusing to release his personal earnings from his part-ownership of the Pilot chain of truckstops.
Haslam appeared to be surprised by the repeated direct attacks and said that it bothered him that the other candidates would say “there’s something wrong” with the success of the family business.