NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Rep. Stephen Fincher is launching a statewide tour to weigh whether to join the race to succeed Republican Bob Corker in the Senate.
Fincher is a 44-year-old gospel singing farmer from the rural western Tennessee community of Frog Jump. He represented a district that took in much of West Tennessee to the north and east of Memphis and was succeeded in 2016 by Rep. David Kustoff.
He was first elected to Congress in the tea party-fueled election of 2010. His announcement that he wouldn’t seek fourth term in 2016 came as a surprise to many political observers.
Fincher, a Republican, says he plans start his tour in the northeastern corner of the state and work his way west to Memphis over the coming weeks.
His deliberate approach stands in contrast to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who released a professionally produced video announcing her bid Thursday within an hour of Gov. Bill Haslam’s announcement that he wouldn’t run.