Incumbent Gov. Phil Bredesen has no worries as he heads into his November re-election. The latest Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Bredesen firmly in the lead over Republican State Sen. Jim Bryson, 58% to 31% (see crosstabs).

The state’s Senate race is much more competitive.

Bredesen, the former mayor of Nashville, is attractive to voters across the board. He’s pulling support from 86% of Democrats and one-third (33%) of Republicans surveyed. Bryson gets the nod from a slight majority of Republicans (55%) and a handful of Democrats (7%.)

Thirty-one percent (31%) of respondents say they have a “very favorable” opinion of the governor versus 12% who say the same of his challenger. The candidates are a little more evenly matched at the opposite end of the spectrum with 8% reporting very unfavorable opinions of Bredesen and 10% for Bryson.

Twenty-six percent (26%) say they aren’t sure what they think of Bryson.

Bryson is also dogged by uncertainty when it comes to his political ideology—a dilemma for Bryson, who has served in the state legislature since 2002. Thirty percent (30%) say he’s moderate, 27% say he’s conservative, and 8% say he’s liberal. The plurality (35%) says they aren’t sure how to classify his political stance. Voters are much more certain about Bredesen, who is seen as a moderate by 63% of respondents. Fourteen percent (14%) say he’s conservative, 13% say he’s liberal, and just 10% aren’t sure.

Thirty percent (30%) of voters say they “strongly approve” of Gov. Bredesen’s job performance and 8% strongly disapprove. Overall, 72% of respondents approve of their governor.

Undaunted by the incumbent’s popularity and his own standing in the polls, Bryson has hit the campaign trail hard and wrapped up his 30-day, 95-county tour of Tennessee earlier this week. He also picked up a nod from President Bush during his recent campaign appearance for fellow Republican and U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker.

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