By AP
Nashville, TN – Tennessee State Senate speaker and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Ramsey says lifting an in-session fundraising ban is no longer among his top priorities. Ramsey says his immediate concerns are dominated by a special session on education and by the state's bleak budget picture. The Legislature enacted the in-session fundraising ban after the FBI's 2005 undercover bribery sting known as Tennessee Waltz that led to the convictions of five former lawmakers. Ramsey has said the ban is unfair on sitting lawmakers seeking office outside the General Assembly. Fellow Senator Jim Kyle, who is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, says he remains opposed to lifting the ban.