Former Gov. Phil Bredesen launches US Senate bid with campaign video

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen officially launched his bid for U.S. Senate Thursday, announcing his run with an online video.

In the more than two minute video, Bredesen sits on a chair on a porch while discussing a host of issues facing the country, including gridlock in Washington, D.C., the opioid crisis and the need to fix the Affordable Care Act.

"I'm running for the Senate because I have the right kind of experience and the actual track record that it will take to start working across party lines to fix the mess in Washington and bring common sense back to our government," Bredesen said.

The former governor — a political moderate and fiscal conservative who recently turned 74 — was the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Tennessee. He won all 95 counties in 2006 en route to his re-election as governor.

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Although Tennessee's political landscape has drastically shifted since then — Republicans control both U.S. Senate seats, seven of nine Congressional seats, the governor's mansion and super majorities in both state legislative chambers — Bredesen's candidacy is widely seen as a game-changer, perhaps turning Tennessee into a battleground.

Also seeking the Democratic nomination is James Mackler, an Iraq War veteran and Nashville attorney. Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke has previously expressed interest in the entering the race but may be reticent to do so with Bredesen's candidacy.

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher and Dr. Rolando Toyos are seeking the GOP nomination.

Phil Bredesen

Age: 74

Hometown: longtime Nashville resident (originally from New Jersey)

Occupation: Businessman

Family: Wife, one child