By AP
Nashville, TN – A poll conducted by four Tennessee newspapers puts Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam at the front of the field vying for the Republican nomination for governor. The Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Survey gave Haslam the support of 36 percent of the 400 likely Republican voters. That compares with 25 percent who supported U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. Another 20 percent chose Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, the state Senate speaker. The poll, conducted July 19-21, had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent. The poll was conducted by Mason Dixon Polling & Research for the Tennessee Newspaper Network and WBIR-TV. TNN is an alliance of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Knoxville News Sentinel, The Commercial Appeal and The Tennessean newspapers. Democratic candidate Mike McWherter, a Jackson businessman, faces no opposition in his primary. Voters go to the polls Aug. 5.