NASHVILLE - For Republican Gov. Bill Haslam it's a happy coincidence that he can give a boost to embattled legislative incumbents while traveling the state to hand out community grant checks.
Haslam is spending the week traveling to the districts of Republican state lawmakers facing tough primary fights, including Rep. Tim Wirgau of Buchanan.
In the governor's words: "We obviously like to help our friends, but at the end of the day this is about communities that have made great grant applications."
Haslam also brushed off questions about whether he would ultimately endorse Donald Trump for president, saying his focus would be on legislative races like Wirgau's, saying: "It matters a lot more to Tim's election than it does to Trump's election what I do."