Over the weekend, former Nashville mayor Karl Dean announced he will make a run to be governor of Tennessee in 2018. The democrat said he will be assembling his campaign team this week. After conferring with his family, Dean said he would run knowing it could be an uphill battle for a democrat to win in a “very Republican” Tennessee. Dean served two terms as mayor of the Music City. He says the early start of a bid to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Haslam would be necessary to overcome the fundraising and organizational challenges democratic candidates face in Tennessee.