Tennessee: Haslam to tour state for highways. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) will begin a 15-city tour of his state on Wednesday, accompanied by Transportation Commissioner John Schroer, to talk about infrastructure projects, including a backlog of highway needs, reports The Tennessee Journal. His talks may set the stage for discussing additional revenue, including the possibility of a gasoline tax hike, in the upcoming legislative session ……. Mississippi: Bush wins Neshoba poll. Jeb Bush came in first with 24% of the votes cast at the annual Neshoba Fair’s first straw poll. In second place was Donald Trump, with 16%, followed by Marco Rubio with 14%, John Kasich 10%, Scott Walker 10% and the rest in single digits, reports The Neshoba Times. The straw poll was organized by long-time fair-goer Jim Perry …….North Carolina: Cooper raises more money than McCrory. In preparation for the 2016 gubernatorial election, Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and his main opponent, state Attorney General Roy Cooper (D), are both filling their war chests. But their mid-year reports show something unusual: Challenger Cooper raised $2.2 million through June 30 and had $3 million cash-on-hand. Rare for an incumbent governor, McCrory trailed Cooper, raising $1.3 million, with $2.4 million on hand …….
