• Taxes
• Jobs
• Healthcare

Tennessee will elect a new governor this year, and WPLN is collaborating with public radio stations WUOT in Knoxville, and WKNO in Memphis to cover the race.

These pages include responses from the three major candidates in the Republican field: Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Chattanooga Congressman Zach Wamp, and state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, as well as the only Democrat, Jackson businessman Mike McWherter. Governor Phil Bredesen can’t run again because of term limits. The GOP nominee will be chosen by voters during the August 5th primary.

The topics include taxes, jobs and healthcare. Each candidate answered the same questions with minimal follow-up in order to give listeners a side-by-side comparison.

WPLN reporter Daniel Potter interviewed Senate Speaker Ramsey and Congressman Wamp. WUOT news director Matt Shafer Powell questioned Mayor Haslam, and WKNO news director Candice Ludlow talked to McWherter in Memphis.

Taxes
We ask the candidates about tax revenue, the food sales tax, and a constitutional amendment that would prohibit payroll taxes and a state income tax…
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Jobs
The candidates answer our questions about getting Tennesseans back to work, about tax credits to companies that create jobs, and about jobs in emerging alternative energy technologies…
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Healthcare
We ask the candidates if health care is a privilege or a right, about medical debt leading to personal bankruptcy, and about the future of TennCare…
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