Endorsements Could Decide Next Mayor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- From all indications, Nashville is heading into an exciting time in the run-off race for mayor.

Related: Special Section: 2007 Mayoral Race | Video

Thursday night’s two winners, Bob Clement and Karl Dean, now head into a month-long showdown that will end Sept. 11.

But is everything as close as it appears?

The two men may both be on top for new, but the perception is that they've been heading in different directions: Dean heading up and Clement heading down.

The opposite directions could explain the very different victory speeches Thursday night. While Dean looked like a man enjoying his victory, Clement came out firing.

“(The campaign was) a positive discussion of the issues that matter to the people of Nashville. It was conducted without personal attack, and it was conducted with dignity,” Dean said during his victory speech.

“Karl Dean, you’re out of step with the people of Nashville. I’m a fighter for the everyday person. You know that. That’s what I did as a U.S. Coongressman, and that’s what I’ll do as the next mayor of Nashville, Tenn.,” Clement said during his victory speech.

“I think what we saw last night was Bob Clement coming out with both guns blazing. And he’s got to do that. That’s what we were talking about earlier, you know, the perception, whether it’s true or not, was that Bob was moving down in the polls and Karl was moving up. So the way you counter that is you put a stop to it by trying to shift the momentum your way,” said political advisor Mike Kopp.

There is also a lot to gain for both candidates. Neither Clement nor Dean has the support of any major group or the endorsement of Howard Gentry or Buck Dozier.

Gentry and Dozier finished third and fourth in the race and who they endorse could help decide the election. Experts believe Gentry’s endorsement will carry black citizens’ votes while Dozier, who had the endorsement of police and the fire department, will carry many others.

“Well when you look at Karl and Bob, you don’t see a big constituency behind them. A lot of the big organized groups kind of took a pass and said they were going to wait until the run-off. That’s from the business groups to the labor groups,” Kopp said.

Kopp said he also expects both candidates to spend a ton of money on TV commercials.

Special Section: 2007 Mayoral Race