“Sen. Corker is sometimes very frustrated with the process in the Senate, he is someone whose mindset is executive oriented,” one Tennessee GOP operative said. “He’s got an impressive private sector background and he’s used to getting things done, and that is the antithesis of the Senate.”





If Corker forgoes re-election in 2018 to run for governor, he’d likely clear the gubernatorial field, GOP insiders said.

A number of strong Republican candidates would then surface for Corker’s Senate spot — a likely safe Republican seat that would be up for grabs for the first time since Republican Bill Frist retired in 2006. Al Gore’s 1990 victory is the last time a Democrat won a Senate seat in Tennessee.