Posted on 12/17/2018 5:23:39 PM PST by SharpRightTurn
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announced Monday he will not seek re-election in 2020.
....
“I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate in 2020,” Alexander said in a statement. “The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years as Governor and Senator than anyone else from our state. I am deeply grateful, but now it is time for someone else to have that privilege. I have gotten up every day thinking that I could help make our state and country a little better, and gone to bed most nights thinking that I have.”
The longtime lawmaker said he will serve out the remainder of his term. The 78-year-old Alexander, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2003 and currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, is the first senator up for re-election in 2020 to announce their retirement.
Akin to Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-TN) retirement, political observers say Alexander’s announcement, will send “shockwaves” throughout Tennessee’s political scene, according to Tennessean. Possible replacements for the U.S. Senate seat include Rep.-elect Mark Green (R-TN), Gov. Bill Haslam (R), Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) and Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd.
Alexander served as the Governor of Tennessee between 1979 and 1987 and the Secretary of Education under President George H. W. Bush.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
First, Tennessee is rid of the pusillanimous Corker. Now, following Corker and Flake, Alexander is a short-termer.
Thank you Lord, and may there be more retirements among the pantywaists!
Yah freakin’ Hoo!
Too little too late, but I’ll take it!
The purge of the swamp continues.
Can we keep the seat? That’s the real question. He should resign his seat and let the Gov. appoint someone who can be the incumbent without a special election. No Corker/Flake please. We must remember the squishy former senators and how the conservatives didn’t win. Think First, Howard Baker, Alexander and Corker. How the dafficiet fella could win as a Democrat or Harold Ford taken seriously. I saty Peyton Manning and gamble that he’s a conservative-probably isn’t. The seat will be ours.
Good riddance. Haslam better not get it though!
“The purge of the swamp continues.”
Exactly. I think we’ll witness more Repukes who see the handwriting on the wall and call it quits.
A bad sign: do a websearch for "Lamar plaid shirt" and you get more about rapper Kendrick Lamar than the senator.
“Good riddance. Haslam better not get it though!”
You’re right. Haslam is as bad as Corker and Alexander.
As you know, Tennessee has a bad habit of having multiple conservatives run in a primary, splitting the vote multiple ways, while one well-funded “moderate” ends up with the win.
We’ll see if that curse can be eliminated in 2020 and thus avoid a Haslam, Boyd, or other squish Republican nominee.
Thank God!
“Another presidential run?”
I doubt it. I think Alexander will be around 80 in 2020, and in his last primary he was held to below 50% by an underfunded but solid conservative challenger. I think Alexander (reluctantly) knows his time has passed.
Maybe you could get John Rich to run! That would shake some folks up!
“This is the next McLame and Flake in the US Senate that will screw over conservatives on his way out the door.”
I suspect you’re right. With no more reelections, he’ll no doubt “vote his conscience.”
During some of Jorge Bush’s amnesty pushes, Alexander was on the fence about signing on. You could tell he wanted to, but got so many calls, emails, letters, and protesters at his public appearances that he backed off. He did vote for the most recent “Gang of Eight” amnesty, so I figure he must have decided back then that he would not run again.
Alexander would have done better than Dole in 96’. Young(er) southern Gov.-like clinton. Doesn’t mean he would have won but this next man up stuff gave us a slow motion predictable loss.
Can we keep the seat? No idea. That's up to the voters of Tennessee. I'd rather see an election than have a governor select someone. A candidate chosen by the people is beholden to people. A politician appointed is controlled by the governor and the party apparatus. Just my 2 cents.
“Alexander would have done better than Dole in 96’. Young(er) southern Gov.-like clinton. Doesn’t mean he would have won but this next man up stuff gave us a slow motion predictable loss.”
Good point about Alexander vs. Dole for the ‘96 run. And, yeah, I’m also sick and tired of the “it’s their turn” (Dole, McCain, Romney) fiascos.
Lamar! who taught Jeb! how to use an exclamation point.
Hugh Hewitt was a big Lamar! for president guy, in case anyone at FR is under the illusion that Hewitt has ever been anything but a GOP establishment tool.
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