"While we are in a strong position, I am still contemplating the future and will make a decision at the appropriate time," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Monday. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Corker weighing retirement in 2018 He similarly considered retiring in 2012, frustrated over the chamber’s gridlock and inability to pass major legislation.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) is undecided as to whether to seek reelection next year, according to the senator, a development that threatens to reshape the Senate’s power structure and Republican attempts to keep the majority.

Corker, who chairs the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is still considering whether to run for a third term next year. His retirement would cause a reshuffling on top Senate committees and potentially tighten the race for control of the Senate, which heavily favors Republicans.


"I think everyone in the Volunteer State knows, as they did in 2012, that running for reelection has never been an automatic for me. While we are in a strong position, I am still contemplating the future and will make a decision at the appropriate time," Corker said Monday.

Republicans close to Corker said he is legitimately on the fence about running again. The 65-year-old former businessman and mayor of Chattanooga is weighing how much of an impact he could make in a third term versus what he could accomplish outside the Capitol.

He’s also considering whether to make what is essentially a seven-year commitment to the chamber, including what would be a yearlong battle to keep his seat. While Tennessee is a deep red state, the deal-making Corker is likely to face a primary challenge if he runs for reelection.

"After spending a lifetime in business, I ran for mayor of Chattanooga as a civic endeavor, and I continue to do what I do because I wholeheartedly believe in public service. That approach allows me to truly throw myself into the job and make decisions based on what I believe is best for Tennessee and our country without thinking about the next election or the next potential opportunity," Corker said.

The possibility that Corker will retire was first reported by CNN. But President Donald Trump first brought to light the senator’s ambivalence about a third term after considering Corker as both his vice presidential nominee and nominee for secretary of state last year.

In August, the White House was taken aback by Corker’s blunt assessment of the president. Corker told reporters in Tennessee that Trump has “not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”

Trump responded a week later: “Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in '18. Tennessee not happy!”

Since that back-and-forth, Corker has maintained contact with top administration officials and views his relationship with the White House and Trump administration as solid, Republican sources said. Still, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is considering aiding a primary challenger to Corker, POLITICO reported on Sunday. The Bannon-led Breitbart cheered on Joe Carr’s challenge to Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee in 2014, though Alexander won by 9 points and crushed his general election opponent.

Republicans hold 52 Senate seats and, with 10 Democrats up for reelection in states won by Trump, are seeking to pick up more seats next year. But a Corker retirement could create an opportunity for Democrats to go on offense in Tennessee, particularly if a more conservative Republican is the GOP nominee in the state. The GOP is defending just eight seats next year, with just two currently viewed as vulnerable: Nevada and Arizona.

Still, Corker is preparing as if he is running again and most Republicans believe he ultimately will. He had $6.5 million as of the end of June; a source with direct knowledge said that he currently has $7.5 million cash on hand. Ward Baker, the executive director of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm last year and a Tennessean, is Corker’s consultant.

Corker similarly considered retiring in 2012, frustrated over the chamber’s gridlock and inability to pass major legislation. In the years since, Corker has become a major aisle-crossing player, working on the 2013 immigration reform bill, the Senate’s 2015 bill to allow a vote on President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and housing finance reform. Corker is now angling to make an impact on the tax reform effort.

If Corker were to win reelection, he’d be allowed to serve just one more term as Senate Foreign Relations chairman under Senate rules if Republicans retain their majority. He is also a senior member of the Banking Committee.