The son of one of Tennessee's more beloved governors has put an end to speculation that he will be making a run for the office his father once held.

Mike McWherter has thrown his hat in the ring for Governor of Tennessee. He joins businessman Ward Cammack, former state House Majority Leader Kim McMillan, and current state Senate Democratic Caucus chair Roy Herron in the race on the Democratic side.

McWherter's past political experience includes a stint as treasurer of State Sen. Lowe Finney's successful campaign against Don McLeary and has been a longtime political adviser to West Tennessee Democratic Congressman John Tanner.

In 2008, McWherter formed an exploratory committee for a run against Sen. Lamar Alexander. He ultimately decided against making the race.

Currently McWherter is owner and operator of Central Distributors, a Jackson, Tenn.-based Anheuser-Busch distributing company, as well as chairman of First State Bank of Union City.

He is a graduate of both Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt School of Law. He and his wife Mary Jane have two children and live in Jackson.

The following is the text of a release just sent out by the campaign:

Stating that "This campaign will be about jobs, investing in education to build a strong economy, and government that continues to be fiscally responsible," Mike McWherter, a West Tennessee small business owner, husband, father, and son of former Governor Ned McWherter, today announced he will run for Governor in 2010.

"Tennesseans face challenges today that are tougher than many have ever faced before. Families are struggling to pay their bills and make ends meet. Because of the dismal national economy, hard-working men and women in Tennessee are losing the jobs that have supported their families for years. I hear about more of these job losses and difficulties every day from all across our state.

“After talking with my family and with Tennesseans in every part of our state, I believe I have the tools needed to really help our struggling families and move our state forward -- and that is why I’m running for Governor of Tennessee. Growing up, I learned a lot about hard work and about the value of a job.   I learned that the job of the Governor of Tennessee is to put the people of this state first-- to look out for them and to give it your all.“

"In the months ahead, I will talk with Tennesseans from all 95 counties about how our state can better serve them during these difficult times. I will outline the ways we can work together to create more good-paying jobs across our state. We will work together to give our students the education they need to be successful after graduation, and we will work to ensure Tennesseans have access to affordable, quality health care. We will also build on Governor Bredesen's successes to make our state government more effective, responsible and accountable to Tennessee taxpayers.

"I look forward to visiting with Tennessee families to discuss these issues, their other concerns and our shared vision for the future of our great state."