U.S. Rep. Fleischmann says Hegseth could fill Blackburn’s Senate seat if vacated – Tennessee Lookout

There is a race going on in Tennessee that is not on the ballot. If U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn wins her bid for governor, her vacant seat will be up for grabs and can be appointed by the governor.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican, is up for re-election in Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District, but he is also vying for the Senate nomination, he said.

But Fleischmann is not the only candidate for the possible senatorial vacancy. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may be interested in the nomination, Fleischmann told Tennessee Lookout on Sunday at a Republican mobilization rally in Hamilton County.

“I don’t know if it will come to fruition. Secretary Hegseth, if he decides to leave this position – I don’t think he will, but if he did – as a Tennessean, he might be interested in that,” Fleischmann said.

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of the 2nd Congressional District, who also spoke at Sunday’s event with Blackburn; Glenn Jacobs, former Knox County mayor; and Damon Hininger, former CEO of Tennessee-based private prison operator CoreCivic, are the other names on the shortlist, Fleischmann said.

The addition of Hegseth’s name to the list comes after House Democrats, including House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, targeted Hegseth for impeachment proceedings if they secured a majority on November 3.

Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor, moved to Sumner County in 2022.

Blackburn said if she wins the gubernatorial race, she plans to stay in her Senate seat until she is sworn in as governor and choose her own replacement.

“I’ll be honored to have it,” Fleishmann said of the Senate nomination. “I think I bring a unique skill set to this position. But otherwise, I will remain in the House as a senior appropriator.”

Less than two weeks before Election Day, the state’s highest-ranking Republicans came together to rally support at Bo’s Bash hosted by state Sen. Bo Watson.

Blackburn, Burchett and Hamilton County GOP Chairwoman Gail Greene insisted that voting Republican is the only way to avoid the takeover of what they called socialists.

“A lot of people forget to go vote, so don’t let them forget,” Blackburn told some 300 guests. “I have a democratic socialist running. There is only one, only one Republican on the ballot on November 3. That Republican is me, and I need their vote.”

Fleischmann urged the sea of ​​people sporting “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” and “VOTE” stickers to go to the polls en masse and prove the pundits wrong.

“I predict a surprise on November 3. Let’s make sure that Republicans show up in all 50 states, prove the pundits and the pollsters wrong, because we have to keep the United States Senate, we have to keep the House of Representatives, because we have to make sure that our great President Donald J. Trump has two strong years,” Fleischmann said.

Despite polls predicting a blue wave, Fleischmann said he has no concerns about his Democratic challenger Anna Golladay.

Golladay is a Chattanooga resident, small business owner and former pastor of the United Methodist Church until she was fired in 2018 for performing a same-sex marriage.

“Historically speaking, whether the 3rd District has had 10 or 11 counties in the general election every time, I’ve won every county. I don’t see any reason for that to change. We’ve polled. We’re up by wide margins,” Fleischmann said. “We invested a lot of money into the campaign this time, but I feel amazing. »

Fleischmann said it was the first time in 10 years he had spent significant funds campaigning in a general election. The roughly $500,000 he spent was intended to target newcomers to the state and spread his message, he said.

The campaign targeted the lightly redistricted 3rd Congressional District. Meigs and most of Rhea County are new to the district under the redrawn map.

Statewide early voting has been on the rise since 2022. Ten days after early voting began, turnout is nearly 52% higher than the same time period for the November 3, 2022 election, according to status data. The average turnout for the 3rd Congressional District ten days after early voting began is lower, at about 41%.

Early voting runs through October 29.