Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn’s entry into the Governor‘s race in Tennessee did not go unnoticed, nor unremarked, by Congressman John Rose and the John Rose for Governor campaign. Rose’s Campaign Chairman Chris Devaney issued a statement immediately, following Blackburn’s video announcement of her candidacy:

“John and Senator Blackburn have a mutual respect,” Devaney said. “Like most Tennessee Republicans, John has voted to keep Senator Blackburn in Washington.”

But Tennessee is at a crossroads and now we get to have a 365-day conversation about who would make the best CEO of the state. Senator Blackburn is going to talk a lot about Washington. John is going to talk about his record as a CEO, an outsider, and a reformer.

This is going to be a great debate about the future of Tennessee. With a six-month head start, John Rose has made a lot of new friends across the state and raised a historic level of resources that will put us on a path to victory.” 

Rose announced last month that he had already raised $6.1 million for the race. And he conducted a series of briefings across the state a week ago, sharing some polling data that indicated his likely paths of attack.  

At this point, no significant Democrat has indicated an interest in seeking the governor’s office.