Blogs

Dear Friends,

Spring is just around the corner!   So with a primary battle well underway, it's time for all of us to spring into action.

March 31st marks the next critical fundraising deadline of the 2010 campaign. We've set a spring fundraising goal of 1000 donors before March 31st to show our strong grassroots support.

We are confident that we can reach this goal because in our last fundraising effort more than 800 new donors joined our campaign.  That’s a 25% increase in our support base in just one month.

Dear Friends,

I’m proud of the work Senator Jim Kyle and I did in our years together in legislative leadership.  His thoughtful perspective will be sorely missed on the campaign trail.

His departure from the 2010 Democratic governor’s race leaves just two voices – and only one voice has real experience in getting things done for Tennessee.

 
Our Road Ahead

“Senator Kyle was a worthy opponent and is a distinguished public official.  It was a privilege to have worked with him for the 12 years I was in the Tennessee General Assembly, particularly when he and I served in Senate and House leadership working together to pass Governor Bredesen’s legislative initiatives.  I have the utmost respect for both him and his wife Sara, who was elected to the Tennessee Public Service Commission in 1994 when I was first running for office.  I wish Senator Kyle and his family

Today I had the pleasure of taking part in two gubernatorial forums, one hosted by the Nashville Business Journal and the other by the Tennessee Press Association. I want to thank both of these groups for hosting the forums and giving me the opportunity to talk about what I will do as Tennessee's next Governor.

I am a big sports fan.  Football, baseball, basketball, you name it, I love sports.  My family and I have spent many afternoons watching games, and we can’t help but chuckle at some of the comments sportscasters make.

One of our favorite conversations happens more often that you might believe.  One sportscaster will invariably ask another, “What do the Titans need to do to win today?”  The answer, of course, is SCORE MORE POINTS!

I wanted to share our Feb. 1st press release about reaching 800 new donors!

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"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"- Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  As he led the march for civil rights, Dr. King realized that service, never forgetting the people around you, was at the heart of change.

Last night, I had the opportunity to talk with Tennesseans about my vision and plans for Tennessee’s educational systems.  I, along with the other gubernatorial candidates, appeared at an education forum hosted by the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education at Belmont University in Nashville.

Specifically, I discussed the following ideas:

· Providing teachers with the support, resources and training they need to meet higher standards and changing student demographics

Dear Friends,

I was able to spend some time yesterday speaking with several staff members of the YWCA in Nashville. It was great to learn more about their mission to be "dedicated to eliminating racism, empoweing women and promoting peace, jusitce, freedom and dignity for all." We talked about their work as a shelter for women who have experienced domestic violence, their transitional living units, GED program and their youth services/education in local middle schools.