Tennessee Senator Bob Corker will retire, Marsha Blackburn, Andy Ogles primed to run for seat
Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) will leave the Senate when his term expires at the end of 2018, and not seek re-election. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other GOP heads have come under fire from President Trump and conservative voters for not delivering in the early days of the administration.
“After much thought, consideration and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018,” Corker said in a statement on Tuesday.
Corker, 65, defied his original pledge in 2006 to only serve two terms: “As we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen legislator model,” he said in his statement.
Corker said. “I look forward to being in the center of this tax reform debate, so many issues are coming up, as you know Iran likely will be at the forefront again in October. I’m busy doing my job – I will share the plans with you at the right time, maybe very soon.”
Earlier this month, conservative activist Andy Ogles announced his intention to run against Corker in the primaries. His candidacy was backed by several prominent Trump supporters.
Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) told The Hill on Tuesday that she is considering running for Corker’s Senate seat in 2018. Blackburn has been a favorite of evangelical, conservative and pro-life voters.
Corker revealed his plans to retire just hours after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would not hold a vote on the latest bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act due to defections from GOP moderates.
Nashville businessman and Republican donor Lee Beaman said last week that he planned to raise $4 million over the next 13 months to “provide President Trump with an ally in the US Senate that he will be able to depend upon,” according to the Tennessean.