Politico: Citizens United endorses Blackburn in Tennessee senate race
The influential conservative outside group Citizens United is endorsing GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the Tennessee Senate race – giving the congresswoman a boost as she looks to clear the primary field.
The group’s nod could be a signal flare to other right-of-center organizations to get behind Blackburn, who launched her campaign last week. Citizens United is run by David Bossie, a key player in conservative politics who served as President Donald Trump’s deputy campaign manager.
“We support Marsha Blackburn for Senate because she understands that you can’t just talk about a conservative agenda, you have to fight for it and get it enacted,” Bossie said in a statement to be released Tuesday. “Marsha Blackburn is a full spectrum conservative who fought the Obama agenda every step of the way and fully supports President Trump’s agenda of repealing and replacing Obamacare, tax reform, and border security.
Blackburn, who has been serving in Congress since 2003, is running to replace GOP Sen. Bob Corker. Corker, who has emerged in recent days as a sharp Trump critic, is retiring after spending two terms in the Senate.
Yet Blackburn is not the only candidate in the race. Andy Ogles, an official with the Koch brothers-funded group Americans for Prosperity, is also running. And Stephen Fincher, an establishment-aligned former GOP congressman, has launched a “listening tour” of the state in anticipation of a potential bid.