Conservatives Looking for Primary Candidate to Face Corker

Tennessee conservatives are looking for a primary challenger to face Republican Sen. Bob Corker, the Washington Examiner reports.

Mark Green, who was President Donald Trump's choice to be Army secretary before dropping out, is the preferred candidate.

Green had come under fire in the past for his stances on the LGBT community and Muslims, The Hill reported.

Green, a state senator, is said to be weighing a bid for the 2018 election.

"Lingering anti-establishment fervor is driving restlessness with Corker on the Right," David Drucker of the Examiner wrote.

And conservatives, led by wealthy Nashville car dealer Lee Beaman want to back a winner, the Examiner reported. And they don't like Corker's moderate tone.

"If a really strong conservative candidate challenges Bob Corker, Lee Beaman would jump on board with his campaign," a Tennessee Republican insider told the Examiner.

But Corker's office strongly defended the senator and his relationship to President Trump.

"Certainly, Sen. Corker has a strong relationship with the president," said chief of staff Todd Womack. "He and President Trump talk often."

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