Bush lauded at Tenn. GOP event, but will state vote follow?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The speakers at the Tennessee Republican Party fundraiser over the weekend took turns heaping praise on former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the keynote speaker at the annual Statesmen’s Dinner.
While Gov. Bill Haslam and Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker stopped short of an official endorsement of the likely presidential candidate, their comments did more than hint that they would welcome his entry into the race.
But even if Bush ends up gaining the support of the heavy hitters in the state GOP, it’s uncertain whether primary voters in Tennessee will follow suit.
Despite endorsements from Haslam and Alexander in 2012, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney lost in Tennessee to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. And another social conservative, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, won the primary in 2008.
