Bob Corker: Marsha Blackburn 'Knows She Has My Support' --- 'I Don't Know Why This Is Even Made a Big Deal Of'

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) followed on up what some deemed to be a half-hearted endorsement of Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a candidate to fill the U.S. Senate he is vacating at the end of his term.

Corker pledged his support for Blackburn but explained Blackburn’s possible Democratic opponent, former Nashville, TN Mayor Phil Bredesen was a friend, and he did not wish to campaign against him.

“Marsha knows she has my support,” Corker said. “We actually had a conversation about it, and you know, I sent the maximum contribution some time ago. I told people I plan to vote for her. All I’ve said is the person running against her, the governor, is a friend and I don’t plan to campaign against him, but I certainly plan to support her. And I have supported her.”

“I don’t know why this is even made a big deal of. This is what’s happening in Florida, Pennsylvania, races all across our country where people have served together. They’re supporting the person of their party as I am with Marsha Blackburn. But they are saying nice things about the other person.

Corker referenced the bipartisan effort to get CIA Director Mike Pompeo confirmed to be secretary of state, which he said was in the spirit of his friendship with Bredesen. Yet, he maintained he was supporting Blackburn.

Last night, you saw a Democratic senator step across the aisle and do something that was great for our country, and calls Mike Pompeo ‘an outstanding nominee’ to not have the blight on his name of coming into the Senate possibly with a negative recommendation, but a positive recommendation,” Corker explained. “And part of that is because of the way I deal with people on the committee, how I deal with people all across our state, trying to bring out the best of them. But I am supporting Marsha Blackburn.”

“You know that,” he continued. “Everyone else knows that. And I just continue to not understand why it’s such a partisan atmosphere that if I were to say something nice about somebody I’ve worked with for 23 years, a Democratic governor who is a mayor who I’ve worked with for all this time, for me to say something nice about that person while at the same time saying I’m fully supporting Marsha Blackburn, somehow or another in this world, that is problematic. I don’t get it.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor