Mark Albertini

Governor - Mark Albertini 82, Wayne Thomas Bailey 97, Jim Bryson 638, David M. Farmer 515, Joe Kirkpatrick 180, Timothy Thomas 31, and Wayne Young 42.

Following his arrest on a public drunkenness charge after a Knoxville Republican rally, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Mark Albertini said Friday he was unsure whether his campaign would continue.

"I don't know what I'm going to do at this point," Albertini said, unhappy as news spread about his night in jail and that people continued to "scrutinize my life with a fine-tooth comb and look at me like the devil."
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"If I had gotten this many calls from stations and media back in the third, fourth week into the race, things would be a lot different now," Albertini said.
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Bryson's campaign has raised $526,942, while Albertini has raised $2,540, for example, according to state disclosures.
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In an earlier interview by phone Friday morning, not long after his release, Albertini told The Tennessean that if e-mails from voters told him to drop out of the primary, he would.But otherwise, he was running to the end.

It was unclear Friday evening whether his later statements were a step back from that.

One of the top officials of the state's Republican Party called on Albertini to drop out of the race in light of the charge.
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From the beginning, though, Albertini was on the outs with party leaders.Indeed, Albertini made no secret that he felt that he believed that state Republican party officials had pressured Bryson to get into the race because he was better known to the GOP establishment.

"Voters know that Bryson got into the race two days before the filing deadline at the prompting of party officials," Albertini said in a press release last month in response to the poll.
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MARK ALBERTINI
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- Mark Albertini, Republican candidate for governorMail: P.O. Box 16022, Chattanooga, TN 37416Phone: 423-240-0153E-mail: contact@markalbertini.com

Albertini, out of jail, says he was not drunk
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Albertini says he was not drunk when he was arrested Thursday night on a public intoxication charge, but says he will ask the public whether they want him to drop out of the Aug. 3 primary.

In a telephone interview after his release from the Knox County jail this morning, Albertini said he has pleaded no contest to the charge, saying he did not want to go through the trouble of pleading not guilty and the ensuing legal proceedings.
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Albertini was arrested after a Republican rally at Elizabeth Lane farm in Knoxville, where GOP U.S. Senate candidates and those running for governor were invited to speak Thursday evening.

A businessman and former U.S. Marine from Chattanooga, Albertini said he was asked to leave the event.He said he went down to a nearby intersection and began passing out campaign literature before being arrested.

The officers who arrested him, he said, did not give him a field sobriety test, but did impound his car.

One of the top officials of the state's Republican Party called on Albertini to drop out of the race this morning in light of the charge.
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In the interview this morning, Albertini said he will send e-mails to voters and ask them to respond to him with their views on whether he should quit the campaign.

"If I get a slew of e-mails saying I should, I'll honor that," he said.
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Bryson's campaign has raised $526,942, and Albertini has raised $2,540, according to second-quarter financial disclosure forms they filed with the state Registry of Election Finance.

"I don't want to be enemies with the party," Albertini said.
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But Albertini said he takes it very seriously."it's serious to me to because I'm a Christian.I brought dishonor upon my Lord."

Albertini's campaign Web site is www.markalbertini.com.

The primary election is Aug. 3, and voters can cast ballots early through July 29.Bredesen faces only nominal opposition in the Democratic race.

EnlargeMark Albertini, candidate for governor and Chattanooga businessman. (From Albertini's campaign Web site)
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7.21.06 State Republican Party calls on Albertini to drop out of gov's race 7.21.06 Albertini, candidate for governor, jailed on drunkenness charge

Mark AlbertiniGovernor

STATE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY GOVERNOR Mark Albertini 76 203 Wayne Bailey 97 270 Jim Bryson 1099 2014 David Farmer 163 489 Joe Kirkpatrick 114 385 Timothy Thomas 34 134 Wayne Young 37 118

Mark Albertini, RepublicanGovernor

Mark Albertini for Governor

* Governor , Mark Albertini, Wayne Thomas Bailey, Jim Bryson, David M. Farmer, Joe Kirkpatrick, Timothy Thomas and Wayne Young.