Five candidates are vying for the Republican and Democratic nominations for Bob Corker's .U.S. Senate seat. Corker, a Republican, announced he was stepping down less than a year into President Trump's first term. That set up a scramble for Democrats to try to turn Tennessee purple as Republicans circled wagons in hopes of defending their majority in D.C.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Republican Marsha Blackburn has represented the 7th District of Tennessee since 2002. Prior to her joining Congress, Blackburn served one term in the Tennessee State Senate.
In Congress, Blackburn is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and the Internet. She is also vice chair of several other subcommittees.
A key aspect of her campaign is defending the Senate majority and her promise to be an ally of the Trump administration.
Blackburn was born in Laurel, Mississippi and graduated from Mississippi State University.
She and her husband Chuck have two children and two grandchildren. They’ve been married for 42 years.
Visit her campaign website for more info.
Aaron Pettigrew
Republican Aaron Pettigrew is a commercial truck driver from Murfreesboro. He owns his own business which involves transporting goods for the military, oil refineries, coal mines and recyclying plants. Pettigrew says he is a working man who has extensive knowledge of the Constitution and the “original intent of the framers.”
Visit his campaign website for more info.
Phil Bredesen
Democrat Phil Bredesen is a former two-term Mayor of Nashville, and two-term Governor of Tennessee. Prior to his public service, Bredesen was an executive in the health care industry. He’s currently chairman of his solar energy company, Silicon Ranch Corp.
Bredesen is still regarded well by Tennesseans even in a time of "outsider " politics. A Vandberbilt Poll released in May showed him with a 67% approval rating in our state. Bredesen has campaigned on the promise that he would do what he feels is right for Tennessee whether it meant supporting the Trump administration's policies or not.
Bredesen was born in Oceanport, New Jersey and graduated from Harvard University.
He and his wife Andrea Conte have one son. They’ve been married for 46 years. Bredesen is a founding member of the local nonprofit “Nashville’s Table” and has served on the board of the Frist Center.
See his campaign website for more
Gary Davis
Democrat Gary Davis is a perennial candidate from Nashville who ran several other times for the Senate and switched to a presidential campaign account in the 2016 cycle. He hasn’t reported raising any campaign money for federal office since giving his campaign $25.00 in 2006.
John Wolfe
Democrat John Wolfe is a Chattanooga attorney, who says on his campaign’s Facebook page that he’s the only real Democrat in the race and stands for single-payer health insurance, expansion of Social Security, withdrawal from Syria and an increased minimum wage. He has not reported raising any money for his bid.
