Former mayoral candidate to encourage House minority leader to run

Nashville businessman and former mayoral candidate Bill Freeman has announced he won’t seek the Democratic nomination for Tennessee governor.

Freeman (pictured) told Fox 17 he is encouraging House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh to run for the Democratic nomination.

“Rep. Craig Fitzhugh is active across the state in Democratic races. He’s helped with countless races and has led in the legislature for more than 20 years,” Freeman told the TV station. “He knows more about the legislature than others know. He’s a great Democrat. I’m doing everything I can to encourage him to run. If he runs, I will endorse him and help.”

Freeman’s statements come the day after another prominent Democrat became the first to enter the primary. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean on Sunday told The Tennessean he planned to seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, in 2018.

State Sen. Mark Green is the only Republican to officially enter the race, though several others are expected to formalize their candidacies in the coming months.