Campaign

Controversial former Trump Army nominee will run for Blackburn’s seat

by Ben Kamisar - 10/05/17 1:05 PM ET

The dominoes continue to fall in Tennessee, where GOP state Rep. Mark Green will run for the seat Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is leaving to run for the Senate.

Green announced his plans on Thursday just shortly after The Tennessean reported that Blackburn will run to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who is retiring at the end of this Congress. In a statement, Green pointed to congressional inaction as the main reason why he decided to run.

“When Republicans hold the majorities in Congress, it’s time to lead, not have more committee hearings and protect special interests. The time for appeasement is over,” he said.

{mosads}“Tennesseans living in the 7th district have grown to expect the effective, conservative representation of Congressman Marsha Blackburn. As a proven conservative fighter, I am ready to earn the trust of the voters and take my values and leadership to the United States Congress.”

It’s been a tumultuous year for Green. He initially announced that he’d run for governor only to be tapped by President Trump to serve as his Army secretary. But he eventually withdrew his name after a slew of reports highlighting his past controversial comments about Muslims and LGBT rights.

After that, he decided not to resume his gubernatorial campaign and said he would not run for a different office. But those plans were scuttled when it became clear that Blackburn would run for Senate.

Green’s announcement was immediately met with an endorsement from the conservative Club for Growth PAC, with its president, David McIntosh, framing him as an “outspoken conservative.”

“Mark is an outstanding advocate for economic growth and would bring fiscal sanity with him when he comes to Washington,” McIntosh said in a statement announcing the endorsement.

This report was updated at 1:24 p.m.

Tags Bob Corker Marsha Blackburn