Jim Bryson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Jim Bryson is a Tennessee
politician
, a former Republican
member of the State Senate
representing the 23rd District, which encompasses Williamson County
and part of Davidson County
, and the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Tennessee. Bryson is mentioned as a possible Republican appointee to the office of Tennessee Secretary of State once the state legislature convenes in January 2009.
. He served as Secretary of the Government Operations Committee and as a member of the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Committee, the Senate Education Committee, and the Fiscal Review Committee. He was noted as one of the Assembly's most vocal advocates of Right to Life
and anti-gun control
views.
against incumbent
Phil Bredesen
. Bryson, upon entering the race immediately assumed the position of front-runner for the Republican nomination, since the other announced contenders were political near-unknowns and the state party endorsed him before the primary. Bryson won the nomination with a vote total approximately equal to that of all of his rivals combined.
Since his Senate district is considered to be the most affluent and reliably Republican in Middle Tennessee
and his re-election was all but assured, some have questioned why he would give it up. Any Republican candidate would have been a decided underdog in the general election
to Bredesen. In the election of November 2006, Republican Jack Johnson was elected to succeed Senator Bryson.
As expected, Bryson was heavily defeated in the November 7 election, taking only 29.7 percent of the vote. He lost all 95 counties in the state, including Williamson County. It was the most one-sided gubernatorial contest (in terms of margin of defeat) in Tennessee's history.
. He married Carol Ratcliff, from Greeneville, TN, in 1991. They have four children together: Maria, Nadia, Nick, and Alex. Bryson earned his bachelor's degree
from Baylor University
and his MBA from Vanderbilt University
and is the owner of 20/20 Research, Inc, a marketing research
firm with offices in Tennessee, North Carolina
, and Florida
.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, a former Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the State Senate
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
representing the 23rd District, which encompasses Williamson County
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
and part of Davidson County
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
, and the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Tennessee. Bryson is mentioned as a possible Republican appointee to the office of Tennessee Secretary of State once the state legislature convenes in January 2009.
State Senator
Bryson was elected to the State Senate in 2002, serving in the 103rd and 104th General AssembliesTennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
. He served as Secretary of the Government Operations Committee and as a member of the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Committee, the Senate Education Committee, and the Fiscal Review Committee. He was noted as one of the Assembly's most vocal advocates of Right to Life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
and anti-gun control
Gun politics
Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, and distribution of firearms.-National sovereignty:...
views.
2006 Gubernatorial race
On August 3, 2006, Bryson won the nomination to run for GovernorTennessee gubernatorial election, 2006
The Tennessee gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. The incumbent, Democrat Phil Bredesen, defeated Republican state Senator Jim Bryson to serve another term as Governor.-Defeated in primary:*John Jay Hooker - perennial candidate...
against incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Phil Bredesen
Phil Bredesen
Philip Norman "Phil" Bredesen Jr. was the 48th Governor of Tennessee, serving from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected Governor in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. He previously served as the fourth mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 1991 to...
. Bryson, upon entering the race immediately assumed the position of front-runner for the Republican nomination, since the other announced contenders were political near-unknowns and the state party endorsed him before the primary. Bryson won the nomination with a vote total approximately equal to that of all of his rivals combined.
Since his Senate district is considered to be the most affluent and reliably Republican in Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
and his re-election was all but assured, some have questioned why he would give it up. Any Republican candidate would have been a decided underdog in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
to Bredesen. In the election of November 2006, Republican Jack Johnson was elected to succeed Senator Bryson.
As expected, Bryson was heavily defeated in the November 7 election, taking only 29.7 percent of the vote. He lost all 95 counties in the state, including Williamson County. It was the most one-sided gubernatorial contest (in terms of margin of defeat) in Tennessee's history.
Personal
Bryson was born in Fayetteville, ArkansasFayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. He married Carol Ratcliff, from Greeneville, TN, in 1991. They have four children together: Maria, Nadia, Nick, and Alex. Bryson earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
and his MBA from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
and is the owner of 20/20 Research, Inc, a marketing research
Marketing research
Marketing research is "the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information — information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve...
firm with offices in Tennessee, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.