Stephen Fincher halts U.S. Senate bid, encourages Corker to seek re-election

Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher is halting his bid for the U.S. Senate and is encouraging U.S. Sen Bob Corker to seek re-election.

The seventh-generation cotton farmer from Frog Jump ended his campaign late Friday.

"The party must get behind a candidate that can win in November and stop Democrat Phil Bredesen, who would be a rubber stamp for the Chuck Schumer liberal agenda," Fincher said in a statement.

"For that reason, I believe Sen. Bob Corker should continue to serve in the U.S. Senate, and stand with the president to fight for Tennessee families."

Fincher’s exit nearly assures U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn will be the Republican nominee for the seat unless Corker gets back in the race.

Corker considers options

Although the two-term U.S. Senator announced plans to retire in September, in recent days he's been encouraged to seek re-election, as some Republicans remain worried about Blackburn's chances of beating Bredesen, a Democrat, in a head-to-head matchup.

On Tuesday, Corker's spokeswoman Micah Johnson said people throughout Tennessee have reached out to the senator with concerns about the election.

"The senator has been encouraged to reconsider his decision and is listening closely," Johnson said.

She did not respond to a request for comment early Friday evening.

Potentially complicating Corker's calculus about re-entering the race has been his at-times rocky relationship with President Donald Trump.

Corker has been openly critical of the president, once likening the White House to an "adult day care center." But Corker has also praised Trump on several occasions and recently traveled with the president on Air Force One to Nashville.

More: President Trump in Nashville: 'Farm country is God's country'

Support from the president could play a key role in the race and Blackburn has made several trips to the White House this week, including Friday.

Corker, meanwhile, met with the president's daughter, Ivanka, earlier this week.

The New York Times previously reported Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Corker he must secure the president's support before re-entering the race.

Evidence of the divide among Tennessee politicos was clear shortly after Fincher's announcement.

Taking to social media, state Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, said it was "time for conservatives to rally behind" Blackburn.

Veteran Tennessee Republican strategist Tom Ingram said he thinks contested primaries are “good exercises for candidates, for parties and for voters in general.” With Fincher withdrawing from the race, Ingram called it a “personal decision” for Corker on whether he decides to run again.

“And if he doesn’t then in all likelihood Marsha’s the nominee and the general election will probably begin early,” he said.

Ingram, a Corker ally who has encouraged the senator to seek a third term, said an analysis of the race suggests that a Blackburn nomination on the Republican side could be Bredesen’s “best and only path as a Democrat in a very Republican state.”

“But that’s not a given by any means,” he added. “It will still be difficult I think for a Democrat to win in Tennessee under any circumstance.”

Blackburn's campaign has said she will stay in the race even if Corker enters the fray.

Provided Corker does not launch a campaign, Fincher's departure brings the race one step closer to ensuring a showdown between Blackburn and Bredesen.

Early polls indicate a Blackburn-Bredesen matchup would be a tight race.

A recent poll commissioned by a group backing the Brentwood Republican found 44 percent of likely voters said they favored Blackburn, while Bredesen netted 39 percent.

More: Poll: Marsha Blackburn holds major lead among GOP voters in matchup against Bob Corker

Bredesen, Blackburn campaigns react

After Fincher's departure, the two campaigns offered significantly different takes.

“Marsha Blackburn has always been the clear favorite of Tennessee families in both the primary and general election and now Republicans can focus all of our efforts defeating Chuck Schumer’s number one recruit Phil Bredesen in November," said Andrea Bozek, a spokeswoman for Blackburn.

Alyssa Hansen, Bredesen's press secretary, said, "These candidates are campaigning like they govern in Washington--name-calling and dividing--which is why Governor Bredesen's track-record and get-things-done attitude is resonating with Tennesseans."

The race is expected to draw significant national attention, given Democrats' hopes of gaining control of the U.S. Senate.

Others seeking the Republican nomination include former Memphis Grizzlies ophthalmologist Rolando Toyos and perennial candidate Larry Crim.

After embarking on a statewide listening tour, Fincher launched his bid for the U.S. Senate in late October.

More: Exclusive: Former Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher enters Tennessee U.S. Senate race

While campaigning, Fincher labeled himself as a “citizen legislator” and not a career politician, despite the fact that he represented the state’s 8th Congressional District from 2011 to 2017.

During the first two months of his campaign, Fincher raised $1.4 million, which political insiders said was a respectable showing.

Despite the fundraising haul, Fincher was outdone by Blackburn, who raised $2 million.

The U.S. Senate race is widely expected to be among the most expensive in state history.

Fincher ran a significantly scaled-back campaign compared to Blackburn, who in recent weeks has launched a media blitz on social media and radio, netted a handful of endorsements, attended a Nashville event with Trump and made several appearances on national television.

Several polls found Blackburn maintained a significant advantage over Fincher in terms of name recognition.

Joey Garrison contributed to this report.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.