Sen. Bob Corker said Monday he plans to remain neutral and not endorse any candidates, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., for the Senate seat he is vacating at the end of the year.
Corker said he plans to support the Republican nominee in the fall against former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, the likely Democratic nominee, but he will not endorse anyone ahead of the Aug. 2 primary contest.
“I’ve always planned to endorse the nominee, but we don’t get involved in primaries, generally speaking,” Corker told the Washington Examiner. “We’ll see where they go and all that.”
As of now, Blackburn is the clear Republican favorite to take on Bredesen. According to polls, Blackburn is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the GOP primary field, including polls featuring former Rep. Stephen Fincher, who dropped out on Feb. 16 and urged Corker to jump back in the race, and Corker himself. Currently, three other Republicans are in the primary field.
While Corker has decided not to endorse in the contest, that has not stopped him from talking to candidates in the race. He said he spoke to one GOP candidate during a stop in Memphis recently. He has also reportedly spoken to Bredesen on numerous occasions in recent months.
“I’m not saying what I am or am not going to do,” Corker said. “Generally speaking, we stay out of primaries. I’ve always expected that I would support the nominee, so I don’t know of anything different today.”
Since he made his announcement last week, conservatives have been urging Corker to come on board and support Blackburn, an eight-term congresswoman. In a statement, the Club for Growth said it would help Republicans to avoid a “bloody primary” if he “stood in solidarity” behind her campaign.
“If Sen. Corker was reassessing this race because he was worried about the Democrat winning, then we urge him to immediately endorse Marsha so that the party can unify behind one candidate,” said David McIntosh, the group’s president. “There is no easier way to make sure that this seat stays in Republican hands than to avoid a bloody primary.”
In a statement, Blackburn declined to touch on Corker’s decision not to endorse in the primary but echoed calls from conservatives to unify behind her in the primary.
“I want to thank Senator Corker for his dedicated service on behalf of Tennessee families. Now, we can unify the Republican party and focus on defeating Democrat Phil Bredesen in November,” Blackburn said.
“As we continue to take our campaign to every corner of the state, I’m looking forward to listening to Tennesseans families and sharing my ideas on how we can get the United States Senate back to work and pass President Trump’s agenda,” she added.
