The Herald-News - News Story

    Will Zach Wamp run for governor in 2010? The chances seem to be increasing that the answer will be yes.
    Wamp, who has represented Rhea County in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2002, visited Spring City Thursday for what was officially a town hall meeting but what had all the feel of a campaign rally complete with a giant banner hanging over the front of the Howard Johnson's Hotel and several local Republican deep pockets in attendance.
    Although Wamp talked initially about the new Volkswagen plant coming to Chattanooga, the question inevitably was asked if he planned to run for governor in 2010 when Gov. Phil Bredesen completes his second term.
    Wamp was initially cagey and began by saying that before entering a political race, a savvy candidate should ask himself three questions: "Can you do the job? Do you have the will to fight? Can you win?"
    Wamp said he believed he could do the job and he believed he had the will to fight for it, but he indicated the answer to the third question would be answered when former U.S. senator and senate majority leader Bill Frist decides whether or not he will run for governor.
    "If he doesn't run, I think I would make the best candidate," Wamp said. "The next governor will need a clear vision to look down the road to 2020. It's time for that kind of leadership in our state, and I believe I can provide that kind of leadership."
    Wamp isn't the only who thinks he can provide that kind of leadership. He was identified last week as one of seven Republican rising stars by Kiplinger.com's Richard Sammon.
    "There are a handful of bright, young and ambitious Republican lawmakers worth keeping your eye on. They could be party kingpins and polishers of the GOP brand before long," Sammon wrote.
    In his description of Wamp, Sammon wrote, "If Republicans are serious about tightening their reins on federal spending and limiting government growth, Wamp will be one of their champions. The 51-year-old lawmaker, an energetic, born-again Christian popular with evangelicals, has been on a mission to cut spending throughout his 14-year congressional career, much of which has been on the Appropriations Committee. He ranked his leadership by trying in 2003 to convert President Bush's spending request for Iraq into a loan. He's been an early promoter of alternative energy. Wamp is also a self-described fitness freak, sponsoring legislation, for instance, that would give special tax breaks to companies who actually pay their employees to work out. He'll probably run for governor in 2010."
    Wamp left a successful career in real estate to run for Congress in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution. Rhea County was added to Wamp's Third District in 2002 due to a redistricting based on the 2000 Census.
    John Carpenter can be contacted at john.carpenter@rheaheraldnews.com