Gubernatorial candidates raising big bucks

Republican state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said Monday that he’s gearing up for a major push to raise money for his gubernatorial bid once a fundraising ban for sitting lawmakers expires this weekend.
Ramsey’s rivals for the GOP nomination, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga, are not covered by the fundraising ban for sitting state lawmakers.
Ramsey has been the most successful among all candidates in raising money from political action committees. The $277,630 he has raised from PACs is 1.6 times more than the combined total of Haslam, Wamp and Democrat Mike McWherter.
Ramsey was covered by the same fundraising ban after announcing his candidacy last year, but quickly began to fill his campaign coffers starting with a midnight rally the minute the ban expired. He went on to accumulate $1.3 million in just four weeks before the fundraising period ended.
Wamp and Ramsey acknowledge they don’t have much chance of matching the fundraising totals accumulated by Haslam, who has the added reserve of vast personal wealth. Haslam had raised more than $7 million through March and had $3.5 million remaining.
Ramsey and Wamp each had about $2.1 million on hand through March, but both have launched expensive television ads since then to compete with Haslam’s. The next fundraising period ends June 30.
Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen can’t run again because of term limits.