NASHVILLE – Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp on Saturday spent much of his time at a Tennessee Republican Party unity event praising Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, who last week beat both Wamp and Ron Ramsey for the GOP nomination.
But even as he praised Haslam, Wamp issued a sort of warning to his fellow Republicans.
“I want to say this without stepping on any toes,” Wamp told assembled party leaders as Haslam, Ramsey and Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker stood near.
“The future of this party and this country is not in Nantucket,” Wamp said. “The future of this party and our country is in Frog Jump, Tenn. What I mean by that is that’s where working families are. And that’s where just good grass-roots people who share our core principles are.”
Frog Jump is the home of Tennessee Republicans’ 8th Congressional District nominee Stephen Fincher. But why would Wamp, who often sounded populist themes in the campaign, mention Nantucket, an island filled with the summer homes of assorted millionaires located more than a 1,000 miles away from Nashville in distant Massachusetts?