Yep, there’s your answer fish bulb:
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) has ended his Hamlet act and decided once and for all not to run for reelection, his chief of staff said in a statement, a move that eliminates the possibility of a brutal primary between him and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and likely boosts Republicans’ chances of holding the seat.
Corker had announced his retirement last fall, leading to swift announcements from Blackburn and former Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN) that they’d run for his seat. But earlier this month he pulled a surprising about-face, floating the idea that he might run again after all as his allies questioned whether Blackburn’s flaws might put the seat at risk for the GOP.
But his backtrack didn’t play particularly well with many GOP voters in the state. Corker’s past criticism of President Trump had hurt him with the party base, and a number of polls conducted by Blackburn allies made it clear she’d have a solid edge over the two-term senator should he decide to run again. While Fincher dropped out of the race to make room for Corker, Blackburn made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere as her team blasted away at the senator for his indecisiveness.
Corker’s team argued he could have won, but decided against a bid.
So now the GOP is left with her:
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., announced on Tuesday she will run for Senate in Tennessee — and took a shot at the current Republican leadership in her announcement video.
Calling the place she wants to work "totally dysfunctional" and "enough to drive you nuts," Blackburn touts that she is a "hard core, card-carrying Tennessee conservative. I'm politically incorrect and proud of it."
"So, let me just say it like it is: The fact that our Republican majority in the U.S. Senate can't overturn Obamacare, or will not overturn Obamacare — it's a disgrace," the eight-term congresswoman continues. "Too many Senate Republicans act like Democrats — or worse. And that's what we have to change."
Blackburn is a frequent cable news guest and had a prime-time speaking slot at the 2016 Republican National Convention. She has long been a loyal conservative foot soldier and ticks off in her video the ways she would stand with President Trump — repealing the Affordable Care Act, backing the president's immigration ban and his border wall and his feud with the NFL over kneeling during the national anthem.
"I know the left calls me a wing nut, or a knuckle-dragging conservative. And you know what? I say that's all right, bring it on," Blackburn says.
Yep, Blackburn sure does have a way of riling up the crowd:
A passionate group of constituents and protesters alike greeted Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) at a meeting in Fairview, Tenn., on Tuesday afternoon.
About 130 prescreened people filled Fairview City Hall to hear Blackburn’s remarks. The city’s website said the event was open only to residents (population 8,000) who had reserved seats.
What began as a relatively sedate meeting at times escalated sharply as Blackburn fielded numerous questions, many about health care and the future of the Affordable Care Act.
After a brief overview of her legislative agenda, during which she affirmed her desire to “phase out” the ACA, Blackburn opened the floor to questions from the public.
The first question came from a constituent who said he was “concerned about oversight in Washington,” specifically the elevation of Steve Bannon, whom he identified as “a notorious white nationalist,” to the National Security Council.
Blackburn initially deflected, saying only, “I don’t speak for the president,” then, after saying she had personally had no problems interacting with Bannon, added, “I am not aware that he’s taken anybody’s place on the NSC.”
A chorus of incredulous boos followed. “It’s all over the national media,” the man asking the question replied.
Several audience members also shared critical opinions of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointees. A Franklin High School senior expressed concern about the abilities of newly confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
“I think Ms. DeVos is going to be a fine secretary,” Blackburn said to loud boos from the crowd. “She’s going to do a fine job.”
“We are not stupid,” someone in the crowd fired back. “Stop this.”
Jeers also followed a similar question about the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt.
“We’re all for clean air, clean water and want to have a healthy environment,” Blackburn told a woman who expressed concern that Pruitt would dismantle critical environmental safeguards. “Next question,” she said tersely, as someone countered, “You voted against that just this month!”
“Is it right to prioritize people based on their religion?” he asked, to applause from the crowd.
Instead of answering the question directly, Blackburn launched into a discussion of refugees and the need for more vetting, prompting Dash to ask again, “Do you think it’s right to prioritize people based on their religion? Yes or no?”
“I know that Christians have seen incredible persecution,” Blackburn replied, prompting another chorus of boos.
And Republicans have been nervous about this decision because it now gives Democrats another pickup opportunity:
One of the brightest hopes for Democrats this year is a Senate candidate who almost never mentions that he is one of them.
“My being a Democrat is an incidental fact, not the sort of primary identification I have,” Phil Bredesen told me when I pointed that out in an interview.
That — along with some turmoil on the other side of the ballot — has helped to give the 74-year-old former governor a shot at winning a seat that was not on the national radar until he announced in December that he was coming out of retirement to run for it.
Tennessee is so red that it has not voted for a Democrat statewide since 2006. As it happens, that Democrat was Bredesen himself, who picked up every single one of its 95 counties in his bid for reelection.
While much of the rest of the country is gearing up for an epic midterm battle between the hardened forces of Trumpism and the resistance, Tennessee is testing whether persuasion is still possible in politics. The theory is that the right kind of candidate can persuade voters, particularly the growing share of Tennesseans who identify as independents, to see beyond party labels.
And Bredesen will be able to fundraise:
Colleen Conway-Welch says she’s still a Republican, even though she’s opening the doors of her Nashville home for a fundraiser for Democrat Phil Bredesen’s Senate campaign.
Conway-Welch, a former dean of Vanderbilt University’s nursing school and the widow of prominent Republican fundraiser Ted Welch, said Thursday she decided to co-host next week’s event for Bredesen because it’s what her husband would have wanted.
“Ted had a great deal of respect for Phil,” Conway-Welch said. “He said to me, ‘If Phil ever runs for something, help him.’ That’s what I’m doing.”
“If Ted hadn’t asked me to, I most likely would not,” she added. “I just know how fond he was of Phil.”
Let’s keep the Blue Wave coming through the Red States as well. Click here to donate and get involved with Bredesen’s campaign.