In 1970 Winfield Dunn set out to change the way politics were played in Tennessee. A virtual political unknown, he touted the then radical idea of a strong two-party state and a united Tennessee. From a Standing Start answers the question ?How in the world did a dentist from Memphis ever get to be the governor of our state?? In a time when ?Republican? was a dirty word, Winfield Dunn managed to gain support in one of the first closely watched, hard-fought, two-party gubernatorial races in Tennessee. He became the first Republican governor in fifty years. The complex conditions that enabled a dentist from Memphis to rise to the office of governor are herein revealed. Leaving partisanship behind, the governor worked to make life better for all Tennesseans, not just those of his party or his geographic region. His memoir offers a privileged view of the campaign trail and the office of the state's executive power.