Commentary from A.C. Kleinheider in the Nashville City Paper:

Ramsey is in many ways a perfect synthesis of his two major opponents. Wamp is a conservative. He can deliver the red meat and push those hot buttons in the perfect combination on the stump to get the base pumped. But he has little in terms of executive experience and he has not shown much of the pragmatic leadership most folks want to see in a Governor.

Haslam, Ramsey’s other major opponent, is the polar opposite. The textbook example of a studied, pragmatic executive leader, Haslam has a tin ear when it comes to the ideological base of the modern TNGOP. While Tennessee Republicans have time and again embraced the moderate Republicans in the Howard Baker mold, most of these moderates at least attempted to feign rock-ribbed allegiance to movement conservatism.

Haslam has yet to show that willingness and clearly lacks the fire for issues that animate conservative primary voters.

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