Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN), who is running in a three-way Republican primary for governor of Tennessee, is now clarifying some earlier remarks and insisting that he does not favor seceding from the Union — though he does think that governors need to put up a strong front and assert their 10th Amendment rights against the federal government.
“When I’m governor of Tennessee, of course we will not secede from the union,” said Wamp. “But we will also not have a governor who will cave in to Barack Obama.”
“We’re going to be a proud partner as a member of the United Sates of America,” Wamp added. “But there needs to be a conflict between the states and the federal government.”
Wamp told the Hotline last Friday that failure to elect a new Congress and administration that would repeal health care reform might be grounds for secession: “I hope that the American people will go to the ballot box in 2010 and 2012 so that states are not forced to consider separation from this government.”
A new Mason-Dixon poll of the primary shows Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam leading with 36%, Wamp at 25%, and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey with 20%. The primary will be held on August 5.
