Knoxville — Knoxville entrepreneur and philanthropist Randy Boyd agrees it probably was bad to go negative as his race for the Tennessee gubernatorial primary heated up this summer.
For one thing, his own internal polls showed as recently as late June that he had a solid lead, 31 points, over rivals Diane Black, 22 points, and Bill Lee, in the teens, not to mention Beth Harwell.
The Knoxville native is also disappointed he couldn't push out his message as well as he wanted about the things that really mattered to him -- issues like education, jobs and helping the state's rural communities.
But, Boyd told 10News on Tuesday in his first sit-down interview since the primary that he and wife Jenny also made more friends than ever before in their lives during the primary race, and they came to know the state "from every corner" on an intimate level.
Ultimately, Boyd, who spent an estimated $19 million of his own money with his gubernatorial bid, said he can still pursue the subjects that are dear to him regardless of winning his party's nomination.
"It was a great learning experience," the former state economic and development commissioner told WBIR anchor John Becker. "It's something I don't want to do again."
After traversing every inch of the Volunteer State, often with multiple trips, Boyd also said: "It's great to be home."
Most of Becker's wide-ranging interview with Boyd will air 9:30 a.m. Sunday on "Inside Tennessee", WBIR's weekly public affairs program.
Looking back
Many observers agree Black and Boyd critically wounded themselves by going so hard at it in July. Black, a U.S. representative from Gallatin, spent millions of her own money on the campaign.
The constant attacks gave businessman Bill Lee of Franklin a chance to take the higher ground -- and to also save money he otherwise might have spent going after his rivals.
Boyd disagrees with the notion, however, that he took too conservative a tack during the primary. As he got into the race, he was perceived as a solid moderate.
"Primary voters are very conservative," he said. "You have to show you share their values."
On election night, Lee was the clear primary winner with a 99,000-vote margin over runner-up Boyd, taking most of the state's 95 counties. Black claimed Shelby County by 45 votes over Lee; Boyd took Knox County with about a 6,400-vote margin over Lee.
Boyd said he wanted to focus on things like education and attracting new employers to the state. But that didn't resonate with many prospective voters, so he ended up talking about other things.
By July 23, one poll had Lee leading Boyd by 6 points, with Black close behind. It's clear Lee kept adding to that lead in the ensuing days.
Lee now faces Democrat and former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean in the November general election.
Looking ahead
Boyd continues to lead his business interests including Boyd Sports, which is involved in baseball team ownership and management including the Tennessee Smokies. He said he may add the Elizabethton Twins team to his oversight.
He also continues to chair tnAchieves, which administers the state's program to boost access to a college education for thousands who otherwise might go without in the state.
The founder of Radio Systems Corp., which is based in Knoxville and sells pet products on a global basis, Boyd also now wants to focus on spreading the concept of dog parks across the state.
He started out wanting to make Knoxville the most "pet friendly" city in the state. Several such parks now are open in the city and they're quite popular.
He'd like to expand the notion spread across Tennessee.
He said he and Jenny Boyd are promoting such parks with something called the "Dog Park Dash," which offers grants to municipalities through the Boyd Foundation.
Other topics covered in the 10News interview that airs Sunday: What Boyd thinks about outside companies coming in and buying up big local employers such as Scripps Networks Interactive and Regal Cinema; the avid runner's thoughts on boosting the physical health of Tennesseans; what he'd like to do with all that property he owns in the Old City; and whether he'd entertain moving his Tennessee Smokies to downtown Knoxville.