Analysis: Trump’s attack on Bob Corker adds intrigue to Senate race

As Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, weighs whether to run for a third term, he’ll now have to calculate what facing an antagonistic President Donald Trump could mean in a possible contested GOP primary.

Corker's complicated relationship with Trump took a sour and combative turn on Friday morning — and it might have launched a torpedo into Tennessee’s 2018 U.S. Senate race.

It came when Corker became the latest target of a Trump tweet.

Trump lashed out at the junior Tennessee senator for comments he made on Aug. 17, when Corker said the president hasn’t demonstrated that he understands the character of the nation and has not shown the competence needed to lead.

Corker's remarks have gotten increasingly more airtime, and apparently Trump had enough, deciding to divulge into private conversations he says he’s had with Corker about next year’s election.

“Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in '18. Tennessee not happy!” Trump tweeted.

Preceding Trump's attack, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday called Corker's comments "a ridiculous and outrageous claim" that didn't dignify a response.

A spokesperson for Corker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

White House calls Corker's remarks about Trump's competence to lead 'ridiculous'

While Corker has been noncommittal about his plans for 2018, speculation about a primary challenge from the populist, tea party wing of the Republican Party has picked up.

Those rumblings are likely to be further fueled by Trump’s jab.

Corker’s Tennessee colleague and friend in the Senate, Sen. Lamar Alexander, downplayed the remarks.

"There is no senator — no Republican senator — who President Trump talks to more than Bob Corker. I know that for a fact," Alexander said. "They have great respect for one another, so my reaction is maybe it's time for them to play another round of golf together."

By Friday afternoon, Corker’s staff was proceeding as usual, sending out a news release applauding the Trump administration’s financial sanctions imposed Friday on Venezuela.

Trump has seen his approval rating drop steadily nationally, but it remains above 50 percent in Tennessee, polling suggests, and is strong among Tennessee Republicans.

Casting himself as a “fighter” like Trump, former state Rep. Joe Carr of Rutherford County said this week he is considering running against Corker.

Andy Ogles, state director of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee, is said to be considering a primary challenge. State Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, has also expressed interest.

Carr, who unsuccessfully challenged Alexander in the GOP primary in 2014 and U.S. Rep. Diane Black last year, accused Corker of being “way over the top with his criticism” of Trump.

“People are pissed that Corker said what he said and glad that the president hit back,” Carr said. “They wish Corker would shut his piehole.

“It seems like Senator Corker is on a personal political suicide mission with these comments,” he added, though stopping short of predicting Corker would definitely face a GOP challenger.

In Arizona, Trump has praised Republican Senate candidate Kelli Ward, who is looking to unseat Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a critic Trump.

It’s still unclear whether Trump will be active in Tennessee’s Senate race, and Corker's loyalists say the president would support the senator if he runs again.

Tennessee Democrats, who have rallied behind candidate James Mackler, an attorney from Nashville, are hoping for a revolt against Trump in the 2018 presidential midterm to make politically red Tennessee competitive next year.

Corker is widely seen as a popular senator in Tennessee. But a new poll commissioned by a group fighting Republicans' efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act found only 34 percent of 663 registered voters approved of Corker's job performance. Corker's staff has pushed back at the survey’s methodology, slamming it to the Chattanooga Times Free Press as a "push poll" that was conducted by a liberal polling firm.

With Trump, Corker has walked a fine line, both praising and criticizing the president since the New York real estate developer entered the political scene and more recently the White House.

During last year's presidential election, Corker provided foreign policy advice to Trump, which has continued since Trump's inauguration.

After news broke about Trump's vulgar comments about women, Corker said the billionaire's remarks were "very inappropriate and offensive," while calling for an apology.

Before Trump's selection of Mike Pence, the Tennessee senator was among the short list of potential vice presidential candidates. Corker later was considered a potential pick for secretary of state before the job was ultimately given to Rex Tillerson.

Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga, was first elected to his Senate seat in 2006 after a bruising, expensive race against Democrat former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. He lacked a serious opponent in 2012.

More:Sometimes a defender, sometimes a critic: Sen. Bob Corker has Trump's ear

In May, Corker said the White House was "in a downward spiral" and needed to get under control after news broke that Trump revealed classified information to high-ranking Russian officials.

Later that month, Corker hailed Trump's first international trip as president, with the former Chattanooga mayor saying he could not be more pleased.

When Trump criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier this month, Corker and Alexander rushed to the Kentucky Republican's defense. 

Trump and Corker's relationship reportedly became more strained over a bipartisan bill to sanction Russia.

Reach Joey Garrison at jgarrison@tennessean.com or 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.