Rep. Marsha Blackburn held a commanding lead in the Aug. 2 Republican primary for Senate in Tennessee, according to a new poll commissioned for the Club for Growth.
The conservative advocacy organization has endorsed Blackburn in the open-seat contest to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. The survey suggests that Blackburn is on a glide path for the nomination. She led former Rep. Stephen Fincher 66 percent to 33 percent; the congresswoman even topped Corker, by 38 percentage points, in a hypothetical matchup. Blackburn’s favorable rating clocked in at 64 percent.
The poll of likely Republican primary voters, from WPA Intelligence, a Republican firm, was conducted Sunday and Monday. The margin of error was 4.4 points. Blackburn appears to be the consensus candidate in the GOP primary. She is tight with the conservative wing of the party, but also has good relationships with the party’s establishment and President Trump.
Democrats are hoping that former Gov. Phil Bredesen can threaten Republicans in the general election. But even in 2006, a Democratic wave year that saw Republicans lose six Senate seats, Corker narrowly won his first term. Tennessee has become more Republican since then, and sided with Trump overwhelmingly in 2016.
