Bredesen TV ad says he’s ‘not running against Donald Trump’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen says in his U.S. Senate campaign’s second TV ad that he’s “not running against Donald Trump.”

Bredesen says he learned long ago to “separate the message from the messenger.”

Bredesen is running as a moderate Democrat who will work across party lines for a red state that strongly supported Trump in 2016.

In the ad, Bredesen says there are a lot of things he doesn’t personally like about Trump. But Bredesen says if the president has an idea that’s good for Tennesseans, he’ll be for it, and if he thinks a Trump idea won’t be good for Tennesseans, he’ll be against it.

Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who has said she’s a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative,” is closely aligning with Trump in her Senate bid.

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Response from TN Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden:

“Phil Bredesen can talk about how he would work with President Trump all he wants, but he’s already shown his true colors. President Trump and Republicans in Congress worked together to put more money back into the pockets of Tennesseans while Phil Bredesen said he would have voted against it. Tennessee needs a Senator who will help us grow paychecks, not vote to make them smaller.”