Phil Bredesen, former governor of Tennessee, talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Corporate leaders pressing for a solution to the so-called fiscal cliff will make their case at the White House and the Capitol a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lamented the lack of progress toward a deal. Photographer: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Former Governor Phil Bredesen to run for Bob Corker’s Senate seat
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is joining the race to succeed Republican Bob Corker in the U.S. Senate.
Bredesen is the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Tennessee, a state that famously turned its back on favorite son Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election in favor of Republican George W. Bush.
Bredesen announced his candidacy in a campaign video posted on his website on Thursday morning. He had spent the previous day calling potential donors to let them know of his plans.
Bredesen grew up in a single-parent, working class home in Shortsville, New York, went to Harvard on an academic scholarship and earned a degree in physics.
He became a wealthy health care entrepreneur before winning two terms each as Nashville mayor and Tennessee governor.
By — Associated Press
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