NASHVILLE – U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is publicly moving closer to reconsidering his decision to retire, with a spokeswoman saying Tuesday afternoon the senator is “listening closely” to Tennesseans who have told him they’re concerned former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen could win the seat.
“In recent days, people across Tennessee have reached out to Senator Corker with concerns about the outcome of this election because they believe it could determine control of the Senate and the future of our agenda,” Corker spokeswoman Micah Johnson said in a late Tuesday afternoon email to the Times Free Press.
Johnson added that Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor, “has been encouraged to reconsider his decision and is listening closely.”
In this Oct. 26, 2017, file photo, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., leaves the House chamber after the House gave a significant boost to President Donald Trump’s promise to cut taxes on Capitol Hill in Washington. Blackburn’s campaign said Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, that anyone who thinks she can’t win the general election in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race is a “plain sexist pig.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)The comments cap a whirlwind day for the contest, with GOP primary frontrunner Marsha Blackburn‘s spokeswoman earlier in the day blasting critics responding to a Tennessee business group’s poll indicating Bredesen holds a narrow lead over the Brentwood congresswoman, a favorite of Tennesseans in the GOP’s hard right.
“Anyone who thinks Marsha Blackburn can’t win a general election is just a plain sexist pig,” said Andrea Bozek, spokeswoman for Blackburn’s Senate campaign.