I thought something unusual might be happening when I watched the video of Fred Thompson arriving in Nashville and saw that TN GOP Chairman Bob Davis was the first guy to walk through the door. It appears my instincts were correct, as Davis soon afterward announced that he will step down as chairman to join the Thompson campaign.

So who will lead the state party now? The first name to jump out was State Sen. Paul Stanley of Germantown, who apparently had a heads-up. State Rep. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville has been following the developments pretty closely and continues to consider different names, as have Terry Frank and Rob Huddleston.

Another local name I’ve heard in the mix is our own Shelby County Chairman Bill Giannini. I hope people take a look at what he’s done here, helping the party win 76% of its races last year, in an area that is trending more and more Democratic every day. He’s a very charismatic guy, well spoken and down to earth. And he plays a mean guitar; how can you beat that?