NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean knows Tennessee has turned solidly Republican in recent years but thinks its voters might be receptive to a more progressive message when they choose their next governor in 2018.
Dean has been traveling the state and taking its measure in recent months. He’s also written a new book touting the booming city’s successes, including many that took place or accelerated while he was mayor between 2007 and 2015.
The coffee-table book written with Michael Cass is titled “Nashville: The South’s New Metropolis,” and features vignettes, profiles and photos recounting the city’s growth in the last 25 years.
“I would argue our diversity has been a huge part of our success,” Dean said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The fact that people feel comfortable living here, they want to live here and they see us as a welcoming place has been a big part of our economic success and our rise to prominence as a city that is a destination.”
Dean said he will decide whether to become a gubernatorial candidate in the first quarter of 2017. He said the early start of a bid to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Haslam would be necessary to overcome the fundraising and organizational challenges Democratic candidates face in Tennessee.