NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Congressman Marsha Blackburn announced Thursday she’ll make a run for Bob Corker’s U.S. Senate seat.
In a video posted Thursday morning titled “Why I’m Running,” Blackburn describes herself as a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative,” saying she’s “politically incorrect and proud of it.”
The congresswoman goes on to say it’s a disgrace the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate can’t or won’t overturn Obamacare, adding “too many Senate Republicans act like Democrats or worse.”
“And that’s what we have to change,” Blackburn says.
The District 7 representative has been a favorite by some observers to take Corker’s seat after he announced he won’t run again in 2018. Longtime conservative political analyst Steve Gil previously told News 2 he believes “other candidates, particularly on the conservative side, have to decide whether they can beat Marsha statewide.”
Just before Blackburn made her run for Senate official, Governor Bill Haslam announced he won’t be doing the same.
“The primary reason is that I want to remain completely focused on my job as governor. I know that being a candidate for the Senate during my last 15 months as governor would be a distraction from the task at hand. And, while I have loved being a mayor and a governor, I don’t feel the same call to run for Senate at this point,” Haslam said.