Retiring GOP Sen. Bob Corker had some unusually warm words for the Democrat running for his job in November, saying Wednesday he would not campaign against former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen this fall.
In one of the pivotal races for control of the Senate, Mr. Corker told a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast event he would vote for presumptive Republican nominee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, but he would not actively stump against the Democrat.
“I don’t plan to campaign against a friend,” Mr Corker said.
The Tennessee seat has emerged as an unexpected pickup opportunity for Democrats seeking to overturn the current 51-49 GOP edge in the Senate.
Mr. Corker made it clear he planned to vote for Ms. Blackburn, who a recent poll says trails Mr. Bredesen by 10 points in the Senate fight. He disclosed he gave her campaign the maximum financial donation once it became clear she had locked up the nomination.
“I’m not in the habit of giving money to candidates I don’t plan to vote for,” he said.
But he also had extensive praise for Mr. Bredesen, whom he has known for more than 20 years. He recalled how the two worked together when he was Tennessee’s state finance commissioner and the Democrat was mayor of Nashville, and later how they worked to lure German automaker Volkswagen to the state when Mr. Corker was mayor of Chattanooga and Mr. Bredesen was governor.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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