All Tennesseans benefit from two candidates for governor

It always is a good idea for an incumbent politician ? no matter how popular, persuasive or effective ? to have opposition in a major election. So it is with Gov. Phil Bredesen, who now will have a solid Republican adversary in the Nov. 7 state general election. Having opposition will force Bredesen to focus on the strengths of his administration, the value of his accomplishments and the issues that separate him from his opponent.

State Sen. Jim Bryson, who represents Williamson County and parts of Nashville, announced his candidacy with only days to spare before the filing deadline. Earlier, Carl “Two Feathers” Whitaker of Kodak and Mark Albertini of Chattanooga had said they would run against Bredesen, but Bryson emerges as a higher-profile candidate.

Bryson’s entrance into the race is good because there are issues that need to be discussed. Top among them is TennCare and the route Bredesen is taking to cut back a bloated and ever-growing health care system for the indigent and underinsured. Bredesen’s Cover Tennessee, an alternative for those on TennCare, currently is before a skeptical group of legislators.

One possible advantage for Bryson is the fact that the state over the last dozen or so years has become more conservative. Yet, Bredesen won against that backdrop four years ago. Except for the presidential election of 1996, Bredesen was the first Tennessee Democrat to win a statewide election since the GOP sweep of two U.S. Senate seats and governorship in 1994. His fellow Democrats nationwide consider him one of the most capable blue governors working in a red state.

Regardless, there will be plenty to discuss and argue about once the campaign gets under way in earnest. We look forward to covering it, and we look forward to hearing the best that both sides have to offer.