Rep. Stephen FincherNASHVILLE – In a major development in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate GOP primary, former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher announced Friday he’s getting out of his race with U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and wants incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Corker to get in.
“The party must get behind a candidate that can win in November and stop Democrat Phil Bredesen, who would be a rubber stamp for the Chuck Schumer liberal agenda,” the farmer from rural West Tennessee said in a statement.
“For that reason,” Fincher said, “I believe Senator Bob Corker should continue to serve in the U.S. Senate, and stand with the President to fight for Tennessee families.”
Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor, announced last fall he would not seek reelection to a third term, a move that came in the midst of an ongoing public feud with President Trump.
But Corker has been saying for a few months that he and Trump are getting along fine now. In recent weeks, Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor, has been inching toward running, with a spokeswoman saying earlier this week he is listening “very carefully” to people urging him to reconsider.