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Tennessee Governor Predicts Republican Rifts Over Trump Will Heal After The Election

Gov. Bill Haslam says Republican differences over Donald Trump will eventually be forgotten.
TN Photo Services
Gov. Bill Haslam says Republican differences over Donald Trump will eventually be forgotten.

Hear the radio version of this story.

Gov. Bill Haslam says he's confident the Tennessee Republican Party can heal the rifts that have emerged over Donald Trump.

Some lower-level party officials have condemned the governor for distancing himself from the GOP nominee.

Haslam broke with Trump amid the furor over a video that showed him bragging about groping women. The governor urged Trump to get out of the race and let his running mate take over.

Some county party organizations have since blasted the governor for not standing by the Republican Party's de facto leader. But Haslam predicted Tuesday those hard feelings will fall by the wayside once the election is over.

"I think that's part of what happens in a big party. You're always going to have people going to have a little bit different perspective. In the end, what's important is to make certain we elect people who can win and then can govern real effectively."

Most of the resolutions have come from counties where Republicans are firmly in control.

Haslam says he's focused in the election's final days on campaigning for Republicans in tighter battles, such as state Senator Steve Dickerson and House Speaker Beth Harwell. Both represent Davidson County, which leans Democratic.

Copyright 2016 WPLN News

Chas joined WPLN in 2015 after eight years with The Tennessean, including more than five years as the newspaper's statehouse reporter.Chas has also covered communities, politics and business in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Chas grew up in South Carolina and attended Columbia University in New York, where he studied economics and journalism. Outside of work, he's a dedicated distance runner, having completed a dozen marathons