The Clarksville Democrat is making it official that she will seek her party's nomination to succeed Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2010, she told The Leaf-Chronicle.

"I'm no longer exploring a run for governor. I am now officially in the race. I'm in it to win it," McMillan, now 47, said.

After long speculation, last April McMillan told The Leaf-Chronicle for the first time that she was interested in a gubernatorial bid and had formed an exploratory committee.

Since then, the former state House majority leader, former senior adviser to Bredesen and current executive director for Community and Business Relations at Austin Peay State University has been making appearances across Tennessee to gauge support and get her name, face and message out there.

Now, McMillan says she is convinced there is ample support across Tennessee to make her candidacy official.

Making history

After a year of presidential campaigning that saw history made on the Democratic side in a race between now-President Barack Obama and new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, McMillan seeks to ride the wave of national change to become the first female governor in Tennessee history.

She also would be the third governor from Montgomery County. Territorial Gov. Willie Blount, from the earliest years of the state's founding, was the first who resided locally, and in the 1920s, Austin Peay, namesake of the local university, left a legacy as one of the more revered governors in Volunteer State history.

"It's a little pressure, trying to follow in their footsteps," McMillan said with a smile, referring to Blount and Peay, as well as Bredesen, her own mentor in state government.

"I think that, being a female, wife, mother, lawyer and educator enables me to bring a whole new perspective to the office. I've been listening to the people of Tennessee, and I know what's important to them, right now, in this election."

The big issues

Her top priority for the moment in Tennessee, given the state of the national economy, is keeping a foot on the accelerator of job recruitment.

Other campaign issues will focus on education, including adult job retraining; health care, especially as job losses mount; and lowering the crime rate across the state.

"The people of Tennessee understand that we are in tough times ... and they are looking for someone to roll up their sleeves to tackle the tough issues that affect their lives and their pocketbooks. I think I can offer that to the people of this state.

"They're worried about how they're going to put food on the table. I think there's no better training ground for getting things done in state government than serving in the Tennessee General Assembly and as senior adviser in the governor's office. As the Democratic majority leader in the House, I carried all of (Bredesen's legislation), and I view him as a good role model," McMillan said.

"I think Governor Bredesen's problem-solving ability has been remarkable, and that's something I hope to take with me into the governor's office. When times were tough, Governor Bredesen will be remembered as someone who anticipated and reacted to challenges well. That's what it means to be a leader," she said.

She said Obama and Clinton set the tone for modern political campaigns, chiefly by getting more young voters involved. She said she plans to borrow that same philosophy on the state level.

The campaign

McMillan's early competition for the Democratic nomination remains unclear. Politically unknown businessman Ward Cammack of Nashville is the only Democrat to join the gubernatorial race so far. Former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford of Memphis has yet to rule out a bid.

McMillan said she would consider it an honor to be the third governor from Montgomery County, and that this area of the state "deserves to be on a bigger stage." Hemlock Semiconductor LLC, with its $1.2 billion investment in northeast Montgomery County, should go a long way to that end, she thinks.

"Being an adopted child, I have adopted Clarksville as my home. I feel as if I was born here in Montgomery County," she said, adding that her husband, Chancery Court Judge Larry McMillan, is a sixth-generation Clarksvillian.

At least in the short term, Kim McMillan plans to continue her work on behalf of APSU as she launches her full-scale gubernatorial campaign, which culminates in August 2010 with the Democratic primary, and possibly the general election in November 2010 if she's successful in the first hurdle.

"I love working at Austin Peay, and that's been my first priority up to now. I'm so proud of having played a role in the Hemlock Semiconductor announcement and getting the Hemlock job training program secured for Austin Peay, plus the university's efforts to expand into Dickson County at the Renaissance Center, and into Robertson County. You just keep hearing good news about Austin Peay, it seems," she said.

McMillan also teaches political science at APSU and wants to continue that for a while, saying it keeps her in touch with younger viewpoints.