Bredesen holds first Senate campaign rally, releases TV ad

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen held his first campaign rally as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Nashville on Saturday and unveiled a 30-second TV ad as well.

Excerpt from The Tennessean report:

After a private strategy session at the downtown Hilton hotel, Bredesen and supporters followed a marching band to the Acme (Feed and Seed Co. store)  where he served chili for nearly an hour to a long line of supporters. Chili suppers were staples of his campaign stops when he ran for governor in 2002 and 2006.

“… I really want to have a really grassroots campaign,” Bredesen said. “As it gets more and more noise on TV and in the media and social media, people more and more depend on friends, fellow church members, people they meet in the grocery store and relatives for information.”

Bredesen said he felt invigorated by the gathering of supporters, “like being plugged into a 220-volt outlet.” But he also made clear that a centerpiece of his campaign is a sense of dissatisfaction with Washington, D.C. His general election opponent is all but certain to be U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, a conservative firebrand.

In conjunction with the first major event, Bredesen’s campaign rolled out its debut television ad on Saturday. In the ad, Bredesen touted a bipartisan approach to governing, and said Tennessee needs “less partisan squabbling and more solutions.”

…While Bredesen boasts the credentials of a bipartisan moderate, he did clarify a difference between his economic policies and those of President Donald Trump, who in recent days has called for tariffs on foreign-made steel and aluminum.

Bredesen pointed to the announcement earlier this week by Electrolux that it has put a planned $250 million expansion at its Springfield plant on hold after Trump’s tariff announcement.

Note: The ad buy, which began over the weekend, cost $242,000 and will run through March 11, according to a separate Tennessean report. It will air on broadcast stations in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson, and the Tri-Cities (including Fox News).