Retiring senator says Peyton Manning ‘would be great’ in office

Retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday said he thinks Peyton Manning would make a “great” addition to the Senate, but cautioned that he doesn’t expect the retired NFL quarterback to run.

Corker told Politico on Wednesday that he thought it was “possible” Manning would consider running for the Senate from Tennessee. He said he spoke to Manning on Wednesday morning.

{mosads}”Peyton Manning is the kind of guy that would be great in public office. … I think it’s possible,” Corker said. “Is it likely? I don’t think so. If he got a huge rush of public inquiries it would probably push him away.”

Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2018.

“I look forward to finding other ways to make a difference in the future,” Corker said.

The veteran Republican added that if Manning decided to run for his seat, his popularity in the state would propel him to victory.

“If he were to run nobody in their right mind would consider running against him,” Corker said. But he cautioned against expecting Manning to become a candidate.

“I would not be putting in the headlines today that he’s going to be running for the Senate.”