Straight out of the gate from his GOP gubernatorial primary victory, State Sen. Jim Bryson rolled into Martin last Thursday on his Big Tennessee Tour.

Bryson visited the Weakley County Republican Party headquarters to speak to the people of the area about his future goals for election as governor. Weakley County is one of 95 counties that Bryson has visited during his tour. The primary goal of this, according to an announcement by Bryson, is to rally the vote in opposition to current Gov. Phil Bredesen.

“Our job is to turn our primary victory into the first step on a road that leads straight to new leadership in the governor’s office,” said Bryson in a release. “We are going to gather up all the Tennesseans who know this state can do better, from Memphis to Mountain City. With your help, we will have a state with a government as good as its people.”

Bryson spoke to a local crowd about his platform and issues dealing with the campaign. To the attentive ears of an impassioned crowd, Bryson spoke on social issues dealing with the state and their relation to his goals for a better Tennessee.

“I voted twice for a bill that defined marriage as between one man and one woman,” said Bryson. “It is our responsibility to pass the values that we hold dear to the next generation.”

Bryson was very clear in his message about how he intended to gather voters. He also said that he did not expect voters go vote solely on party lines.

“It is exciting for me to go and gather up supporters. People who are embarrassed by scandal, people embarrassed by Bredesen and want values restored.”

Bryson also discussed his Tennessee universities and his future plans for higher education. Specifically he mentions his involvement in Senate Bill 3914 of the Budget Bill.

“I voted on a bill [as senator] which added $20 million to keep tuition costs down,” said Bryson. “UT Martin is a good example of a university that serves a lot of students, and we need to keep tuition costs down so that students have access to places like this.”

In contrast, spokeswoman Amber McDowell paints a slightly more focused picture for current governor Phil Bredesen.

“Because of the current budget circumstances, the governor has been working to balance the books, which is why tuition has increased lately. Now that the books are in better shape, we can find new ways to make college more affordable,” said McDowell.

Furthermore, McDowell commented on the goals of Bredesen concerning higher education. “The governor has expressed interest in making Tennessee higher education of the highest quality. We want high quality professors and to be competitive with our neighbors in higher education.”

Bryson also made mention of a current crisis affecting many Tennesseans, which is the current status of our state’s health care programs. On the agenda for discussion was the Cover Tennessee bill, proposed by current governor Phil Bredesen.

Bryson had sponsored a similar bill titled Access Tennessee, but opposed the Cover Tennessee in its current form.

“The Cover Tennessee bill combines 4 similar bills into 1,” said Bryson. “Three-fourths of the bill is good. We need to provide health care to people who don’t get it. However, the insurance companies don’t believe in [Cover Tennessee], and it will end up the same as TennCare. This, to me, is a receipt for disaster.”

However, Bredesen’s people disagree. According to his spokeswoman the health care issue is one to be scrutinized responsibly and very carefully.

“We are trying very hard to get [health care] coverage for hard working people, but Cover Tennessee is as far from TennCare as you can get. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.”

At any rate, it seems as if both parties are fighting to ensure that Tennesseans have their health care needs met.

The event concluded with a lunch provided for by the Weakly County Republican party. Also, many local UTM students attended this event in support of Bryson.

“I think Bryson has a tremendous record in the state senate and a wonderful vision for the state as well as leadership qualities to see that vision through,” said Jacob Shorter, education major here at UTM. “I think [Bryson’s] values are consistent with the values of a majority of Tennessean’s.”

Weakly County was one of the last stops on Bryson’s Big Tennessee Tour. He concludes the tour in Knox County today.

In the future, Bryson hopes to go toe to toe with Bredesen in possible debates.

“I hope to be able to debate. It is good for people to know who their candidates are and they have the right to know,” said Bryson. “I have a real respect for the people of Tennessee to think and to chose wisely not based on party lines.”

Bryson still has a great deal of campaigning to do. His future plans were discussed by Lance Frizzell, spokesman for the Bryson-for-governor campaign.

“He will be continuing campaign across Tennessee to further his message. He will also be preparing for debates and getting his message to the people of this state.”

The gubernatorial election is set for November 7. Bryson will have to match his political experience, including five years as state senator, against incumbent Bredesen’s three years as Tennessee governor and past experience as mayor of Nashville.