Wamp has been in the House since ’94 and has been beating the drum for the governor’s race for a while. He might be a good candidate, but he has trouble fundraising.

Haslam is a big-money moderate. I don’t know much about him, but I really don’t want to run a country club moderate.

Also running will be Shelby County DA Bill Gibbons. Gibbons is a good guy, but being the Memphis DA is not gonna help him in a statewide race.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey may also run. Ramsey has dropped hints but given nothing definite and Blackburn has avoided any public comments on the governor’s race thus far. Frist’s announcement may move them to go public.

Though I have volunteered for Blackburn and greatly respect Ramsey and Wamp, I am disappointed that Frist is not running. If he had run, it would’ve been a slam dunk for us. I still think we have a great shot to take this back especially if the Dems do nominate the milquetoast Blue Dog Lincoln Davis. We’ll just have to work a lot harder now.

Frist would have been a lock. If this is true, we’ll have a very difficult primary and a very difficult general.

Unless, of course, Fred Thompson decides he wants to be governor…now that would be cool.