----Dave Meltzer in the 7.20.09 issue of Wrestling Observer Newsletter had this to say about Lawler running for mayor.
Lawler officially announced he would be running for mayor of Memphis on 7/8. Lawler said he was not going to ask for any campaign contributions. There is no date scheduled for the special election after current mayor Willie Herenton steps down. Herenton won the 1999 mayoral election that Lawler ran in and got 12% of the vote. Herenton has said he is going to retire from the post effective the end of this month. Nine different candidates have already openly stated they are either running or have strongly indicated they would be doing so. Two other area politicians say they are considering it. There was the fear in an 11-person race that the winner would get a heavily diluted mandate. That may help Lawler, although he is not considered by the local media to have a significant chance. Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton is considered the favorite. Carol Chumney, a former city councilwoman, is considered the co-favorite because she’s had two years of building a base of voters in local elections. Lawler has intimated he’s serious about running this time, unlike the first time where it was really a publicity stunt. Being mayor would be a full-time job so if he wins, and he would be a longshot because he’s coming from outside the political system, even though from a name recognition standpoint, everyone in the city knows who he is which is an advantage. If elected he would quit WWE, which shocks me because Lawler has a great gig, making a couple of hundred thousand per year working one or two dates per week and still can do indies or autograph shows on his own without company interference (well, usually, obviously they didn’t let him do that Hogan vs. Lawler match and have pulled him in the past from a few high profile indie dates). Lawler almost always flies to his destination on Monday, doesn’t attend the production meeting, has Michael Cole give him a brief update on the key points of the show, goes through the show and is usually out of the building by 11:15 p.m. He’s largely emotionally detached from the product itself, and except when they make him look goofy by having to stand there right in front of a babyface being killed, he really doesn’t care what they do. We did hear reports he wasn’t thrilled the last time he made his TV comeback in the Los Angeles ten-man tag because all the stars wanted to get their stuff in and nobody cared about making him look good. Lawler did an interview talking about leaving WWE if he wins the election noting that flying out every week gets old. Lawler turns 60 at the end of November.
