Ron Ramsey, Stephen Fincher join Diane Black’s campaign for governor

Former Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher have been named co-chairs of Diane Black’s campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

From the Kingsport-Times News:

“She asked me to do that,” Ramsey, a Blountville Republican, said in a phone interview. “I’ve known Diane for almost 20 years. … I’ve always admired her, her tenacity, her backbone, her conservative philosophy. I knew her in the (state) House. She was one of those in 2002, when the leader wouldn’t do it, who ran against (former state House Speaker) Jimmy Naifeh. She lost of course, but it was symbolic. In 2004, I talked her into running for the (state) Senate.”

… Ramsey agreed Black’s opponents may very well attempt to paint her as a member of a dysfunctional Republican majority Congress.

“I would think that is the case. She’s been in Washington now for seven years (Black chairs the House Budget Committee),” Ramsey noted. “I think she will turn that around. She is the first female budget chair, and they’ve actually moved a budget out of their committee for the first time in a long time. She’s got something done there. … I think she will be able to defend against that all day long.”

… Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, who represented the West Tennessee 8th Congressional District from 2011-2017, is the other campaign co-chair.

Here’s the campaign news release:

GALLATIN, Tennessee – It’s the latest sign that conservatives across Tennessee are rallying behind Diane Black’s campaign for Governor — former Congressman Stephen Fincher and conservative former Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey will Co-Chair the Diane Black for Governor campaign.  Fincher represented the West Tennessee 8th Congressional District from 2011-2017.  Ramsey was Lt. Governor of Tennessee from 2007-2017 and has long been the leader of Northeast Tennessee’s conservative bloc.

“As Diane Black’s State Co-Chair, I can’t wait to get on the road and be a strong voice for Diane’s conservative message,” said Fincher.  “From the very moment she told me she was running – I said Yes! Run for Governor. Tennessee needs your ideas, experience and solutions to the challenging issues facing Tennessee.

In Diane, we have a conservative Tennessee leader who knows how to fight and win. Time and time again she fights for what’s right.  Pro-life, lower taxes, against sanctuary cities. She’s a formidable leader with humble beginnings who doesn’t back down.  We need Diane Black as our next Governor.  There is too much at stake in the future of Tennessee to do otherwise.”

A seventh-generation farmer, Fincher is a managing partner in Fincher Farms, a family business that grows cotton, corn, soybeans, and wheat on more than 2,500 acres in west Tennessee.  In 2010, Fincher became the first Republican in 48 years to represent Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District in Congress.

“I’ve seen Diane Black work and I know what kind of back bone she has, said Ramsey.  “We need a conservative like Diane Black who will fight for what’s right and not back down. It is an honor to introduce her to my friends and work hard to make her our next Governor.”

Ramsey was the first Republican Lt. Governor in 138 years upon his election in 2007.  He is the longest serving Republican Lt. Governor in Tennessee history.  He is the founder and owner of Ron Ramsey and Associates, a realty and auction firm located in Blountville.

“I am honored to have the support of conservative leaders who fight back and that’s exactly the kind of leaders Stephen Fincher and Ron Ramsey have always been,” said Black.  “They put conservative principles to work and never backed down when those principles were challenged.  I look forward to working with them to reform our schools, stand strong for tough borders, and lower taxes. We are putting together a strong team from the suburbs to the small towns to the rural counties and we are going to win this race.”