Governor Bill Haslam and Senator Lamar Alexander on Monday announced that they will campaign across the state in the homestretch in what both said could be "the largest Republican primary in Tennessee's history."
Governor Haslam said, "More Tennesseans have early voted in the Republican Primary than ever before, and I hope that trend continues on Election Day. Over the next three days, Crissy and I will visit 18 counties to encourage people to get out and vote in the Republican primary for the candidates that will help keep Tennessee moving forward, and ask them to encourage their friends and neighbors to do the same.
A record breaking turnout will send a strong message that Tennesseans care about the direction of our state and our country."
Senator Alexander said, "Having the largest Republican primary in Tennessee's history would send a message to President Obama that Tennesseans are ready for a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, and ready to take the country in a conservative direction. In Senator Baker's primary in 1966, five times more people voted in the Democratic primary than the Republican primary, and predictions today, based on early returns, are that there may be three times more Republicans than Democrats. By running strong candidates and keeping an open door, the Republican Party has become larger, more conservative and more successful."
Governor Haslam and Senator Alexander will make stops in East, Middle and West Tennessee. The events will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in advance of Thursday's primary election. Voting totals in many Tennessee counties, especially in East Tennessee, have been high enough to lead to an historic, record-breaking turnout in the Republican primary. The current record is 725,000 votes, set in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary.
Mr. Haslam is the 49th governor of Tennessee. He was elected on Nov. 2, 2010, with 65 percent of the vote, winning 90 of 95 counties, and securing the largest victory of any non-incumbent gubernatorial candidate in the state’s history.
Officials said, "In his first term as governor, Mr. Haslam has focused on making Tennessee the number one location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, balanced the budget every year, kept taxes low, ensured Tennessee has the lowest per-capita debt in the country, and nearly doubled the state’s savings account.
"Governor Bill Haslam’s commitment to education is making a difference. Tennessee is the fastest improving state in the country in academic achievement. He has made the 'Tennessee Promise' to give every graduating high school senior a chance to earn a certificate or degree beyond high school free of charge."
He and the First Lady, Crissy, have three grown children and four grandchildren.
The Alexander campaign is chaired by Congressman Jimmy Duncan, with co-chairmen Governor Bill Haslam, Senator Bob Corker, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, Speaker Beth Harwell, as well as Congressmen Blackburn, Roe, Black, Fincher, and Fleischmann. The campaign’s honorary co-chairmen include former U.S. Senators Howard Baker (1925-2014), Bill Brock, Bill Frist and Fred Thompson, as well as former Governors Winfield Dunn and Don Sundquist.
Serving as honorary co-chairs of the Statewide Committee to Elect Lamar Alexander are all 13 living former state Republican party chairs.
Officials said, "Lamar Alexander is a conservative U.S. Senator who is standing up against Obama and is committed to solving our country’s greatest problems. His priorities are to fix the debt by restraining out-of-control spending, to move more decisions out of Washington and back to states and communities where they belong, to help the Republican Party ignite the American Dream for millions who have lost confidence in our free-enterprise system, and to transfer more of Tennessee’s common-sense conservative values to Washington, D.C."