Wamp exuding confidence

Zach Wamp was in a noticeably confident mood about his campaign for governor Saturday at a Republican event in Franklin.

He mentioned that his "numbers are really strong," which of course prompted a request for the numbers, and Wamp wasn't giving.

But the 3rd District congressman sounded either especially self-assured or he was putting on an excellent act. He sounded particularly pleased with new TV advertisements coming in June.

"I could not be more encouraged right now than the position we have," Wamp said. "All across the state, our numbers are really strong. The television campaign Tennesseans are going to see from me in June is compelling, positive and all about the future of our state. I'm real excited about the next 48 days."

There are 48 days before early voting begins for the Aug. 5 primary. There are 68 days until the primary itself.

Wamp is running in the primary against Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey of Blountville and marketing consultant Joe Kirkpatrick of Wilson County.

"I'm really encouraged with the kind of momentum we see on the ground for my campaign and of course Republicans across the board. It's going to be a tremendous year for our party," Wamp said.

But Wamp knows political reality, and reality is that statewide politics can be hardball politics when the day to vote nears if the race is tight. It's a time when people are on the lookout for sharp attacks and negative ads. It is also the time when many people who haven't paid much attention to the campaign make fairly quick decisions based on what they see just before an election.

The general assumption in the governor's race has been that Haslam has the edge, based on organization and funding, which has topped $7 million in contributions. All of the contenders claim to be conservative. The race has been defined very much by geography, since the three most prominent contenders -- Haslam, Wamp and Ramsey -- are from East Tennessee. While each is trying to eat away as much of the base of the other two, the race may be won in the Republican rich suburbs of Memphis and Nashville.

"It gets tough as you go down the stretch, because we've got good people running and everybody's going to have their points to make," Wamp said.

"I really am at peace about the outcome of this race, and I feel very confident, because we have the people with us. It's going to be a great finish to this campaign, and then we've got to unify everybody and get ready for November."

When pressed for why he feels so good about his standing, Wamp said, "I can just tell you that right now, as we approach the home stretch I'm in a really strong position to win, so that's all I'm going to say."

When he addressed the crowd of the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women Iris Fund Luncheon, Wamp said, "We're going to have the first opportunity ever to have a Republican governor and a Republican legislature. It's a great opportunity, but it's also a great responsibility. There's nobody to blame. We can't point the finger. It's up to us to govern."

The general election is Nov. 2. Mike McWherter, as the only remaining Democrat running, is the likely opponent against the Republican nominee.