Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. speaks to supporters in this Nov. 4, 2014, photo.When President Barack Obama takes the stage at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, he may see some unexpected faces in the crowd - some of Tennessee's top Republicans.
Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden and Biden's wife, Jill Biden, will be speaking about plans to make college more accessible to Americans and to boost manufacturing jobs.
So far, Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker plan to attend the president's talk. When Obama visited Chattanooga in July 2013, neither the governor nor congressional Republicans joined him.
That's a signal that Obama will likely tout Haslam's Tennessee Promise project and use that to make headway with his own education policies. The president's visit comes one month after Haslam went to the White House for Obama's own college opportunity summit.
Tennessee Promise aims to offer all Tennessee high school seniors a no-cost two-year degree, and it has earned national attention. In October, the governor had to call for more mentors to join the program after more than 47,000 students had signed up - double the expected enrollment.
Haslam did not comment on the presidential visit Monday, but spokesman Dave Smith said Haslam would be in Knoxville on Friday.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker speaks to small business owners, in this file photo, during an event to help small businesses grow their online presence. The event was held by Google at Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga in this file photo.Alexander, the Senate's top Republican on education, said his own plan to revamp the No Child Left Behind Act paired well with Tennessee Promise, and he looked forward to working with Obama during the incoming 114th Congress - which convenes today and is majority Republican.
"Our priorities should be to fix No Child Left Behind and to reduce the mountain of federal paperwork that is today the main obstacle for Tennessee students who want to take advantage of Gov. Haslam's program for tuition-free community college," Alexander said in an email. "I look forward to working with the president on these goals in the same way we worked together in 2013 to pass a bipartisan law that made student loans cheaper, simpler, and more certain for nearly 8 million American students."
But while Obama may praise Haslam's plan, it's not likely the president will completely agree with Alexander's ideas. Alexander is the ranking member of the Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Alexander is seeking to bring more control over education policy to states - including setting academic standards such as the controversial Common Core Curriculum and bringing flexibility in spending federal dollars. He is also seeking to drastically cut federal financial aid paperwork.
Corker said in an email Monday he also looked forward to working with the president.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann speaks to his supporters after winning the race for the 3rd Congressional District in this file photo."I welcome President Obama to the Volunteer State and am glad that he will be highlighting our state's success in higher education and our efforts to attract and maintain high-quality manufacturing jobs for Tennessee families," Corker said.
After the education talk, Obama and the Bidens will travel to Techmer PM, a polymer manufacturer in Clinton, Tenn.
Schedule conflicts may prevent U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann from attending, according to his office.
But in an email, Fleischmann echoed other congressional Republicans.
"We are fortunate to be home to some great educational institutions and companies, who have worked together with Governor Haslam and other local elected officials to help grow our manufacturing base. I am glad the president is taking time to come see all that is happening in East Tennessee and am hopeful he will work with the new Congress to help businesses continue to grow," Fleischmann said.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.