Onetime rival Fincher endorses Blackburn in Senate race
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican Senate nominee in Tennessee, speaks at a Farm Bureau event in Franklin on Aug. 9, 2018. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
A release from Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn about being endorsed by former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, who dropped out of the race early this year:
Brentwood, TN – Today, former Congressman Stephen Fincher endorsed Marsha Blackburn for U.S. Senate.
Speaking about his endorsement, Congressman Fincher said, “Marsha Blackburn is strong leader for Tennesseans. We know Phil Bredesen will be a rubber stamp for Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s agenda, and we need to do everything to maintain the Republican majority Senate. Marsha is the only one who will stand up for our Tennessee values in the Senate, and I am proud to do everything I can to ensure she is our next Senator.“
“Stephen is a respected voice for West Tennessee, and I enjoyed getting to know him and working together for Tennessee families in the House of Representatives, ” said Marsha Blackburn. “I am so grateful to have his support and advice as we work to ensure Tennessee has solid conservative representation in the Senate.”
Fincher drops out of Senate race, urges Corker to get back in
Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher (Image credit: Fincher campaign)
Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, the gospel signing farmer from Frog Jump, is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race and urging incumbent Sen. Bob Corker to reconsider his decision not to seek a third term.
“My campaign has always been about what’s best for Tennessee,” Fincher said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “Tennessee families need a strong conservative voice in the Senate, someone who will stand with President Trump and lead the Republican Party forward.
Poll finds 64 percent of TN GOP voters want Corker to retire
A poll of likely Tennessee Republican primary voters, commissioned by the Senate Conservatives Fund, found 64 percent want Bob Corker to retire from the U.S. Senate while 24 percent said he should run for reelection with 12 percent undecided, according to Breitbart News.
The poll also found that Blackburn – who has been endorsed by SCF – would be strongly favored to defeat Corker and U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher a hypothetical three-way Republican U.S. Senate The results: 49 percent for Blackburn, 26 percent for Corker and 9 percent for Fincher.
Politico: Poll has Bredesen leading Blackburn 47-45
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood. (Photo credit: Blackburn for Senate campaign)
Politico reports that a late January poll had Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen leading Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn 47% to 45% in a head-to-head matchup in the Tennessee Senate race.
The poll conducted by Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies indicates that a generic Republican would be preferred over a Democrat, and that President Donald Trump retains a strong approval rating. The takeaway, Politico says, is that “Blackburn is in for a tough race” even in a heavily Republican state like Tennessee.
CNN: Corker (maybe) thinking about reversing course on retirement
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker tours Mars Petcare on Aug. 22, 2017. (Photo credit: Corker Senate office.)
Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker has been talking to colleagues about the possibility of reconsidering his announced retirement, according to a CNN report.
The details are sketchy, even within the context of the anonymous rumor mongering typical of Washington political reporting. CNN says there’s disagreement about whether Corker has initiated the talks about his political future, or if the subject just came up when it was raised by colleagues who want him to run again.
(Update: The Tennessean has spoken to a top Corker adviser, who says: “It is true that Senator Corker has been encouraged by people across Tennessee and in the Senate to reconsider his decision, but at this point nothing has changed.”)
Blackburn reserves $1 million worth of ad time on Fox News
Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s U.S. Senate campaign has reserved $1 million worth of ad time on Fox News between April 27 and the primary election on Aug. 2.
Campaign adviser Ward Baker says in a memo that it was key to reserve the premium statewide inventory during the 14-week ad run now because of the crowded field of candidates in the governor’s race and various congressional contests will drive up demand for limited airtime.
Poll finds Bredesen ahead of Fincher, trailing Blackburn in U.S. Senate matchups
Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn leads former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen 50.7 percent to 39.7 percent in a recent poll commissioned by Tennessee Star of prospective voters in hypothetical matchup for the general U.S. Senate election. The poll also found that Bredesen has a lead – 41.5 percent to 38.2 percent – in a match with former Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher as the GOP nominee.
Pro-Blackburn PAC poll finds she leads Fincher 63% to 21%
A poll commissioned by Club for Growth PAC, which has endorsed U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, finds her leading former Rep. Stephen Fincher 66 percent to 13 percent among likely GOP primary voters with 21 percent undecided. The group also did a poll matching Blackburn against retiring Sen. Bob Corker and reported her leading the incumbent 63 percent to 25 percent.
Blackburn leads Fincher in fundraising for Senate campaign
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn says she raised $2 million for her U.S. Senate campaign in the fourth quarter of 2017 while her fellow Republican rival, former U.S. Stephen Fincher, says he collected $1.45 million.
Polling from opposite poles: Blackburn leads Bredesen; Bredesen leads Blackburn
A poll commissioned by a pro-Trump super PAC found that Republican Marsha Blackburn is ahead of Democrat Phil Bredesen in a potential 2018 general election for a Tennessee U.S. Senate seat, reports the Hill, while a survey sponsored by a Democrat-supporting organization found Bredesen ahead.
