Another Republican Flees The Trump Dumpster Fire As Sen. Bob Corker Won’t Seek Reelection

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2018.

Corker said in a statement, “After much thought, consideration and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018. When I ran for the Senate in 2006, I told people that I couldn’t imagine serving for more than two terms. Understandably, as we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen legislator model, and while I realize it is not for everyone, I believe with the kind of service I provide, it is the right one for me.”

At one time, Corker was considered for a top position in the Trump administration, but over the summer, the Senator questioned Trump’s behavior and mental fitness at a town hall.

Corker’s retirement has thrown Republicans for a loop. Both Mitch McConnell and Trump were urging him to run for reelection. It is difficult to imagine a Democrat winning in Tennessee, but without the powerful incumbent, the GOP will be left trying to hold onto an open Senate seat that they assumed was safely locked up.

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Midterm elections have a history of being bad for the party of incumbent presidents, but 2018 is shaping up to a perfect storm of voter outrage, an unpopular president, and loathed party controlling Congress.

Bob Corker’s decision is the last thing that Republicans needed heading into 2018.



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