Former Congressman Stephen Fincher Jumps In Tennessee Senate Race

FROG JUMP, TN — Former Republican U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher is the latest Republican to announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate following Bob Corker's announcement he would not seek a third term.

Fincher was first elected to Congress in the 2010 Republican red-wash of Tennessee and was re-elected twice before opting not to seek a fourth term in 2016. "The Farmer From Frog Jump," as he was popularly known, had been on the obligatory statewide listening tour following Corker's shock announcement.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

On his official Facebook page, Fincher said "I'm running to help push President Donald J. Trump’s agenda and shake up a do-nothing Congress."

Though a supporter of Trump, Fincher is seen as largely aligned with the establishment wing of the state Republican Party as opposed to the harder-right stances taken by former congressional colleague and now-opponent U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn. During his listening tour, he began to subtly criticize Blackburn, particularly for her part in shepherding a bill through Congress which led to the loosening of the DEA's oversight of opioids. That measure passed unanimously while Fincher was in the House.

"This is an issue that shows Tennesseans want someone to stand up against special interests,” Fincher said. “We’re losing lives. Our jails, little towns and communities are broken. People, they go to Washington, and have stayed up there too long and are out of touch with what’s really happening all over this great state," Fincher said, according to The Tennessean.

That prompted a sharp rebuke from the Blackburn campaign.

"Now we have a clear contrast between a supporter of President Trump who will drain the swamp in Washington, versus Nancy Pelosi's favorite Republican who champions corporate welfare," Blackburn spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said by email, according to the paper.

Fincher comes in with a healthy campaign account of $3.2 million, a shade more than Blackburn.

Other Republican hopefuls include Andy Ogles, a long-time conservative activist, and perennial candidate Larry Crim. Nashville attorney James Mackler is the only Democrat officially in the race, though former Gov. Phil Bredesen confirmed last week he is considering a run.

Photo via U.S. House of Representatives