July 21, 2001

Maryville -- Captain Charles Wilhoit, U.S. Navy, Retired, a resident of the Townsend area, will be formally announcing his candidacy for Tennessee governor at the end of this month. The formal announcement will be at the Maryville Municipal Building, July 31, at 7 PM.

Wilhoit will be the first Libertarian candidate to enter the race for governor. The Libertarian Party will officially select its candidate at its state convention next spring. The general election is in November 2002.

"Tennesseans have made it very clear that they don�t want an income tax. We know Democrats favor it. We�ve learned that Republicans can�t be trusted to oppose it. Only a Libertarian will make the income tax a dead issue," Wilhoit said.

Wilhoit stresses a need for spending reform instead of tax reform as a priority solution to Tennessee�s budget problems.

Wilhoit was born in Alcoa and attended schools in Blount County and Columbia Military Academy, Columbia, TN, prior to his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, from the 2nd Congressional District of TN. He entered the Naval Academy in June 1942 and graduated in June 1945 at which time he was commissioned Ensign, U.S. Navy. Captain Wilhoit retired from the Navy in July 1974 while in command of Destroyer Squadron 27 in Long Beach, California.

Wilhoit�s political involvement includes a run for the TN Senate and service as the chairman of the Tennessee Libertarian Party. He is currently serving as the vice chairman of the Blount County Libertarian Party and as Organization Coordinator for the Libertarian Party of Tennessee.

The Libertarian Party set a Tennessee record for third-parties last year by running 18 candidates in the 2000 elections.

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Contact: Kevin Rowland, Chair, Blount Co. LP

Phone: 865-681-8567