Sen. Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Trump asserts his power over Republicans Romney is only GOP senator not on new White House coronavirus task force MORE (R-Tenn.) finds himself squeezed from all sides as President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE\u2019s allies mull the prospect of taking the senator down from his right and as Democrats ready a challenge for the general election.<\/p>\n
Corker, once considered a possible pick for vice president, angered Trump allies after criticizing the president for his response to violence at a white supremacist rally last month\u00a0in Charlottesville, Va.<\/p>\n
Corker\u2019s comments prompted a backlash from Trump allies, including former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Now they\u2019re expressing interest in backing a primary challenge against Corker.<\/p>\n
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On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are rallying behind a strong candidate, an Iraq War veteran and defense attorney, to ready for a long-shot campaign that could benefit from a GOP primary fight. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Corker, 65, was mulling retirement even before he faced a primary opponent. But while more establishment Republican observers\u00a0don\u2019t think Corker is in serious trouble, the prospect of a well-funded challenge\u00a0could still spell primary trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more insurgent, further right-wing of the party hasn\u2019t won statewide yet here \u2014 until they do,\u201d said one longtime nonpartisan Tennessee political analyst.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see a threat, but I don\u2019t see a real serious threat to Corker just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corker, a successful businessman, was one of Trump\u2019s closest confidants in the Senate during the presidential campaign as an informal adviser on foreign policy issues.<\/p>\n
A June poll by The Tennessee Star found that 41 percent of Republican primary voters wanted to reelect Corker, while 42 percent wanted someone else to run. Even so, Corker hadn\u2019t been on the radar of Republicans looking to fund primary challenges, with most of the focus landing instead on incumbents like Sens. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Kelly holds double-digit lead over McSally in Arizona: poll Trump asserts his power over Republicans MORE (R-Ariz.) and Dean HellerDean Arthur HellerOn The Trail: Democrats plan to hammer Trump on Social Security, Medicare Lobbying World Democrats spend big to put Senate in play MORE (R-Nev.).<\/p>\n
That changed after Corker lambasted Trump in the days after his controversial reaction to the violence in Charlottesville last month, where a man with ties to white supremacist groups is accused of killing a counterprotester.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful,\u201d Corker said in August.<\/p>\n
While other Republicans criticized Trump, Corker\u2019s comments seemed to question whether Trump is mentally fit to be president \u2014 remarks that crossed a line for Trump\u2019s allies.<\/p>\n
Those comments also drew a wedge into the relationship between the two politicians. Trump took to Twitter to blast the \u201cstrange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in \u201918. Tennessee not happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s more conservative allies see Corker\u2019s comments as a betrayal.<\/p>\n
Bannon, back atop Breitbart News and at the head of a vast network of conservative donors and activists, including billionaire Trump backer Robert Mercer, has floated the idea of supporting primary challengers to Republican senators.<\/p>\n
Those talks involve using the pro-Trump Great America PAC as a weapon against the incumbents. One source close to Great America told The Hill the group would \u201cdefinitely be interested in a primary\u201d against Corker.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s part of a broken system and focuses more on Donald Trump\u2019s rhetoric and completely ignores his agenda and platform \u2014 that\u2019s where the frustration lies with most people,\u201d the source said of Corker. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The source floated Rep. Marsha BlackburnMarsha BlackburnGOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police GOP senators dodge on treatment of White House protesters Five things to know about Trump’s legal power under the Insurrection Act MORE (R-Tenn.) as an ideal pick for Trump supporters clamoring for a challenge to Corker. Blackburn has another advantage of potential primary rivals: She already has more than $3 million in her campaign account.<\/p>\n
But Blackburn declined to challenge Corker in June, leading some to speculate that she\u2019ll only launch a Senate bid if Corker retires.<\/p>\n
Trump supporters in Tennessee predict that a primary opponent could use Corker\u2019s Trump criticism against him. Appealing to Trump supporters could go far, they believe, in a state that Trump carried by 26 points in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorker\u2019s recent public criticism of the president was extremely risky, knowing the president\u2019s high favorables within Corker’s constituency,\u201d said Scottie Nell Hughes, a conservative grassroots strategist from Tennessee and a former Trump campaign surrogate.<\/p>\n
Corker could face multiple challenges from his right. Andy Ogles, who leads the state\u2019s arm of Charles and David Koch’s Americans for Prosperity, announced a bid on Thursday. Former state Rep. Joe Carr (R), who hit 40 percent in a primary challenge against Sen. Lamar AlexanderAndrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderState, city education officials press Congress for more COVID-19 funds Hillicon Valley: Senators raise concerns over government surveillance of protests | Amazon pauses police use of its facial recognition tech | FBI warns hackers are targeting mobile banking apps Republicans prepare to punt on next COVID-19 relief bill MORE (R) in 2014, is considering entering the race. So is state Sen. Mark Green, who withdrew his nomination to serve as Army secretary after scrutiny of controversial comments about minority groups.<\/p>\n
A crowded field could play to Corker\u2019s advantage. Alexander, for example, won his 2014 primary by 9 points after six challengers divided the rest of the field. But none of Alexander\u2019s challengers had access to the kinds of resources that Bannon and his allies could provide this cycle.<\/p>\n
Great America and Bannon have already begun to line up insurgents aiming to take on sitting senators. Both have backed Roy Moore\u2019s bid to unseat Sen. Luther StrangeLuther Johnson StrangeThe biggest political upsets of the decade State ‘certificate of need’ laws need to go GOP frets over nightmare scenario for Senate primaries MORE (R) in Alabama\u2019s upcoming Senate primary runoff and have expressed interest in supporting primary challengers running against\u00a0Flake in Arizona, as well as others.<\/p>\n
As Moore continues to poll ahead of Strange, the Great America source said the insurgents are already encouraged by his performance as an indicator of future success, especially since establishment groups have dumped serious money into the race on Strange\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
But it remains to be seen whether early interest in a primary will turn into hard dollars in Tennessee. It\u2019s possible that Trump could call his allies off if Corker somehow improves his relationship with the unpredictable president. The two met at the White House on Friday for their first face-to-face meeting since Corker\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n
Corker is well-respected, both in his party and Washington, for leading the charge on major foreign policy issues. And, aside from his criticism of Trump, his conservative credentials aren\u2019t in question. Both of those issues could make it harder for primary challengers to gain traction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are the real gripes with Corker? I don\u2019t see one issue where they can really point to him to call him a traitor,\u201d the Tennessee political analyst said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly there were concerns about his comments with Trump, but there\u2019s no groundswell I\u2019ve picked up yet that would be nearly enough to undermine him unless the [candidate] is well-funded and Corker feeds the narrative more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corker sought on Monday to downplay the idea that Trump would support a challenge, telling reporters that he wouldn\u2019t let the possibility affect him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no indications whatsoever that the administration would encourage [a primary],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call them like I see them, and I\u2019m not going to change who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Democrats are looking on with glee at the possibility of Republicans tearing into Corker. Leading Democratic hopeful James Mackler, an Iraq War veteran and attorney, has already won support from Democrats who see him as their best option for a difficult red-state election.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Republican primaries raging across the Senate map will drain resources from the GOP, damage their eventual nominee and exacerbate the fissures within their party,\u201d Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Whoever lands the GOP nomination will be a tough opponent for Democrats, no matter how ugly the Republican primary gets.<\/p>\n
\u201cMackler definitely punches all the right tickets,\u201d the Tennessee analyst said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he can put together a coalition but right now, outside of the cities, there\u2019s hardly any support for Democrats anywhere and the numbers just don\u2019t work unless there are some awful big changes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sen. Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Trump asserts his power over Republicans Romney is only GOP senator not on new White House coronavirus task force MORE (R-Tenn.) finds himself squeezed from all sides as President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge … <\/p>\n