As Zach’s campaign for governor continues to build momentum across Tennessee many national analysts are starting to predict that he will be Tennessee’s next governor.

Recently, Richard Sammon of Kiplinger said “U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp is the odds-on favorite” to to be Tennessee’s next governor in his analysis of current gubernatorial races. Read more.

Likewise the national blog “Election Advantage” ranked Tennessee as the 4th most likely state to flip parties in the upcoming Governor’s race and said, “That makes it likely that the only question is which Republican will flip this seat, and the most likely candidate still appears to be Rep. Zach Wamp.” Read more.

At the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s Fall Partnership event last week in Murfreesboro, Zach outlined his plans to create high quality jobs in Middle Tennessee by targeting growth areas in the defense sector.

from Venture Nashville Connections:

U.S. Rep. and gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp (R-3) yesterday told a group of economic-development advocates that Tennessee Valley communities can benefit from the rise of global terrorism.

As chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor initiative, Wamp told nearly 400 stakeholders gathered yesterday in Murfreesboro that “terrorism is here to stay,” and that industry and government lining the corridor from Huntsville to Ft. Campbell, Ky., can carve-out unique roles in support of both the U.S. military and Homeland Defense.

Wamp reminded attendees of the TVC Fall Summit that advocates have already played a substantial role in expanding Defense-oriented spending at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, during the past ten years, even though much of the spending at ORNL is obscured by secrecy, because it is “in the dark side of the Federal world,” a reference to the classified nature of the work and associated budgetary information.

Challenging his audience to think of ways to leverage the region’s assets, Wamp urged conferees to brainstorm ways to leverage resources ranging from the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, to aviation-oriented programs at Middle Tennessee State University and engineering and aeronautical resources at nearby Arnold Engineering Development Center (a U.S. Air Force-driven facility) and the University of Tennessee Space Institute.

Although Wamp did not mention it, there’s also a good deal of defense- and security-related work underway at Vanderbilt University.  For example, within the VU Engineering School the Institute for Software Integrated Services (ISIS) and the Institute for Space Defense Electronics (ISDE) regularly partner with the Department of Defense, DARPA, Boeing, Qualcomm and others.

Wamp (at left) noted that Defense-linked companies are scattered throughout the region. He cited the Clinton, Tenn.-based Remotec division of Northrop Grumman. Remotec employs technology developed long ago with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to handle radioactive materials. Today, Remotec ANDROS robotic technology is heavily used for explosive ordinance disposal, law enforcement and SWAT team operations.

Wamp also stressed the success of Savannah, Tenn.-based ISR Group Inc., which provides technical, logistics, training and related services in support of unmanned aviation, nautical and other systems used by military, homeland defense and policy sectors.

Click here for full article.

Earlier this week Zach helped lead the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s Fall Partnership event in Murfreesboro aimed at creating more high-paying jobs in Middle Tennessee. Zach founded the Tennessee Valley Corridor in 1995 and has since helped grow it into a nationally award-winning economic development organization that spans five states.

The Tennessee Valley Corridor has created a hotbed for new manufacturing jobs and investments in East Tennessee including new Billion dollar investments from Volkswagen and Wacker.  Now, a Tempe, Arizona company is talking about bringing as many as 20,000 jobs to heart the Tennessee Valley Corridor. Click here for coverage from the Fall Partnership event and more about the company looking to make a huge investment in Middle Tennessee.

Those Who Know Zach Best…
Offer Some of the Strongest Testimonials and Endorsements

Dr. Bill Stacy, the former Chancellor the University of Tennessee Chattanooga offered the following remarks and testimonial about Zach and his campaign for Governor at a recent TeamChattanooga fundraising event.  Others endorsing Zach and speaking at the event included Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, and Chattem CEO Zan Guerry.

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Leadership interests me intellectually and practically.  What is it?  I think the founding fathers knew all about it and named it well as a constitutional concept. Leadership is consent of the governed.

We teach in schools that leadership is given 1) to someone we think is expert in knowing what to do, and 2) to someone we think has our best interests at heart and will work for us.

Zach Wamp, we believe that’s you.  You are well prepared in every issue facing Tennessee.  And, Zach, we believe you have demonstrated your careful attention to serve every Tennessean, regardless of race, color, creed, economic status, faith – or any other background.

We have watched you already lead from careful study, hard work, and excellent attention to the people you serve.

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One of my business heroes in Chattanooga is a friend to all of us, the best cheerleader of our town. He told me his definition of a businessman, handed down, he said from his father before him.  The business man, he said, “is the guy who goes out and gets the business.  All the rest of us are just clerks.”

You know how Zach fares there…what about economic impact by the billions of dollars and jobs by the thousands here, be brought here for a change, in  East Tennessee.  Chattanooga, Cleveland, Oak Ridge, or all the way over to Clarksville…all over Tennessee people will understand how important these jobs are to us – and how one of the candidates can actually do something about bringing us those jobs.  Yes, there are some good clerks who want to promise us they can manage what we already have, but I’d take our Chattanooga definition of a “businessman” any day!

I saw – and will forever be grateful to Zach Wamp for bringing the SimCenter to our university.  I also saw him bring the Technology Corridor to Tennessee, and he even let Virginia, Kentucky, and Alabama play, too.

This guy knows business.  It’s time for us to send a businessman to Nashville, who not only knows how to rearrange the state’s resources, but knows how to increase our resources, by bringing business and profits and jobs and a better standard of living for all Tennesseans.

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Zach, you have offered to lead and we have gathered to say we are with you. Tell us what we need to know in language we can understand.  You have a powerful message of hope.  You have a powerful record of service and integrity above reproach.  You have a powerful record of bringing jobs and smart technology to Tennessee.

It is an honor to be on your team.  We have chosen you.  Now, just lead the way! 

The above features excerpts from remarks made by Dr. Bill Stacy, former Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga at a TeamChattanooga fundraising event, November 2009.

A team of Zach supporters including Carter Wamp, Zach’s nephew, blew away the competition in Rep. Debra Maggart’s skeet shooting event in Hendersonville last weekend.

The team, known as ZachAttack, also included “Gunny” of “Gunny’s Indoor Shooting Range” in Maryville, TN. ZachAttack broke 49 of 90 targets in the competition which was six targets better than the second place teams.

Click here for more.

For more information click here.

from the Tennessean:

Sumner County Young Republicans picked favorites to be the GOP’s candidate for governor’s race while feasting on beer and brats at Hendersonville’s Historic Rock Castle Friday night.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp tied for first place, both capturing 25 votes each at the annual Ocktoberfest celebration.

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam was runner-up with 12 votes. Joe Kirkpatrick, of Mt. Juliet followed with four votes while Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons came in last with one vote.

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Speaking last in alphabetical order, Wamp received the loudest round of applause when he noted his “solid conservative record” in the U.S. House of Representatives on “guns, taxes, marriage, life and immigration.”

Wamp said as governor he’d work to improve early level education to ensure that every child reads proficiently by the third grade and make Tennessee a healthier state by funding preventative health care solutions.

Full Story.