Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is calling on Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) to run for re-election instead of retiring from Congress.
“I am hoping Mark Green will reconsider and get back in TN7,” Blackburn said in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star. “Mark is a solid conservative, and we need him to continue his work on the border.”
Blackburn’s statement came hours after it was reported that Green, who announced his retirement from Congress less than two weeks ago, was reconsidering running for re-election instead.
Green, who serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced his decision not to seek reelection on February 14, one day after successfully leading the House impeachment vote of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The incumbent congressman said at the time he was “ready to return home” after delivering on his promise to “pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable.”
Since then, only one Republican, former State Representative Brandon Ogles, has launched a bid for Green’s U.S. House seat.
Meanwhile, two Tennessee State Senators – Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) and Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) – have passed on launching a bid for the seat.
Roberts, who previously expressed an interest in launching a bid for the U.S. House seat, is also calling on Green to reconsider retiring and instead run for re-election.
“People have asked me about running for Congress and here are my thoughts. Mark Green is a tough act to follow! As far as I’m concerned, he is the one who needs to be our representative in Congress,” Roberts said in a previous statement to The Star. “I’m going to say publicly what I know a lot of Tennesseans think: we wish he would run for reelection! He is doing a great job for us in Congress and he is the one we need fighting the fight on our behalf.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Rep. Mark Green” by Rep. Mark Green and “Sen. Marsha Blackburn” is by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
Of course, Marsha would say something like this. U. S. Sen. Blackburn is now an official ‘certified’ and ‘genuine’ member in ‘good standing’ of the D. C. ‘swamp’.
I fully agree with Senator Blackburn in encouraging Congressman Green to serve at least one more term. There is so much damage this Obiden administration has inflicted on America. There is so much to clean up and we need strong experienced representatives. Barring the unforeseen, President Trump will return to office. There are a number of blue congressional seats that appear likely to flip to red, same in the Senate. This will be the opportunity to correct the many destructive directives now in place. The Southern Border problem can be resolved simply through executive order. The House is making strides toward containing the wild spending now under Republican control. We need a larger majority in the House as well as a majority in the Senate.