Blount Today - Running For Governor: Jim Bryson Visits Blount To Outline Vision Of State Government

Running For Governor: Jim Bryson Visits Blount To Outline Vision Of State Government

July 5, 2006

By Sherri Gardner Howell
Publisher, Blount Today

State Sen. Jim Bryson, candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, says he is no stranger to running for jobs he isn't suppose to win.

Bryson talked to this reporter and a group gathered for a campaign fund raiser at the home of Steve and Ruth West about his campaign for the Republican nomination to face incumbent Gov. Phil Bredesen.

"When the state senate seat opened in my district in 2002, I believed it was time for me to get into political service," said Bryson. "I wasn't suppose to win. I was suppose to lose. I wanted to make a difference, but I knew I couldn't do it alone. So we put together a team, and we worked hard, and we ran hard, and we won."

Bryson gave up running for reelection for his senate seat to run for governor.

"I didn't think it was fair to run for both seats," he said. "It was a hard decision because serving in the Tennessee senate is a true honor. But the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this was the right thing for me to do."

Since making the decision and beginning his campaigning and campaign fund-raising just a month ago, Bryson says the
support and enthusiasm he has received has made him even more confident the decision was right.

"The people of Tennessee deserve a choice,' he told those gathered at the West home. "People say we have a big mountain to climb, and, yes, it is, but very few things in life worth doing are easy. We have a big hill to climb, but it's not insurmountable. We can win this because we have many things going for us."

Two keys are the marriage amendment and the U.S. Senate race, Bryson said. "The marriage amendment will be on the ballot. The people of Tennessee will get to vote on the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. I voted for it and this governor would not sign it.

"The U.S. Senate race will also help us," said Bryson. "Whoever emerges as the candidate, the Republicans in Tennessee are going to be working to do everything they can to get the vote out to keep that seat in the Senate. When that happens, all those resources and all that attention will help me. We can win this, for the future and for the people of Tennessee."

Issues of importance to Bryson, he says, are illegal immigration, education and Tennessee highways. "We have had a lack of leadership on issues like illegal immigration," he said. "I have voted for several bills that would have dealt with the immigration problem in Tennessee, and this governor has opposed them."

Tennessee roads are "not being built," says Bryson, citing it as another incidence of a lack of leadership in state government. "We are not building our road projects. They have almost been dismantled because the governor pulled $200 million out of the gas tax and put it into the general fund. We have a commissioner for the Department of Transportation who has no experience with roads to start with and is now splitting his time between transportation and the Department of Safety. We need better leadership."

Scooter Clippard, who grew up in Blount County and is now chief development officer for FirstBank, has signed on to be Bryson's finance chairman. He told those gathered at the West home, "Phil Bredesen needs to tell the people of the state of Tennessee what he is going to do with four more years as governor. He needs to have a challenger who will hold him accountable on the issues so that people have a choice. We are thrilled to have someone like Jim step forward. He is going
to be the next governor of Tennessee."

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