Editing Ed Bryant (section)

== 2002 U.S. Senate election ==
In 2002 Bryant entered the Republican primary for the [[United States Senate]] after Republican [[Fred Thompson]] announced that he was changing his mind from an earlier announcement and would not be seeking re-election. The circumstances resulted in his piecing together a hurried, underfinanced campaign. Bryant was opposed by former [[governor of Tennessee]], [[U.S. Secretary of Education]], and two-time [[President of the United States|presidential]] candidate [[Lamar Alexander]] for the Republican nomination. Alexander had both greater statewide name recognition and greater financial resources, even though he hadn't appeared on a ballot for a statewide office in Tennessee in 20 years. Despite this, Bryant held Alexander to 55% of the primary vote while garnering 44%. Additionally, Bryant made a good impression on many Republican activists in the state, especially with his willingness to make appearances on the Republican ticket's behalf during the fall campaign after his own defeat.