Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) announced that he will be running for governor of Tennessee in 2010, and will not seek re-election after serving eight terms in the House.
“I believe the time is at hand for me to expand my service to help even more people in our great state by pursuing the office of governor,” he said in a statement. “I will file the paperwork necessary to begin raising money as a candidate for Governor of the great State of Tennessee.”
Wamp’s decision comes one day after former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced that he would not be entering the race. The state's current governor, Democrat Phil Bredesen, is prevented from running for a third term because of term limits.
Wamp's decision comes as little surprise: Last month, Wamp commissioned a poll showing him as the Republican frontrunner for the gubernatorial nomination. The poll, conducted by the Tarrance Group, showed Wamp leading a prospective rival, Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam.
Wamp currently holds a plum spot on the House Appropriations Committee, and has mulled runs for leadership positions within the Republican Caucus in the past.
Republicans should have little trouble holding Wamp’s Chattanooga-based seat: John McCain handily defeated Obama here in 2008, and President Bush won 61 percent of the districtwide vote in 2004.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0109/Wamp_to_run_for_governor.html
