Corker declines to say whether he voted for Blackburn

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker (R) declined to tell a reporter Thursday whether he had voted for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) or her opponent, Phil Bredesen (D) in the race to replace him in the Senate when asked about his vote.

Corker has endorsed Blackburn, but his support for the Trump-aligned congresswoman is seen as reluctant amid his own criticism of the Trump administration.

{mosads}”I think you know, so, I’ll leave it at that,” he told the Nashville Tennessean on Thursday. Though adding of Blackburn, he reportedly said: “Yeah, I endorsed her early on.”

Corker raised eyebrows in Washington when he praised Bredesen earlier this year and declined to campaign against the Democrat, while offering support for Blackburn’s candidacy.

“He is my friend,” Corker said in April. “I’m not going to campaign against him, but I’m supporting our nominee.”

Bredesen and Blackburn are locked in a tight race for Corker’s seat, which is seen by Democrats as a potential pickup in Tuesday’s midterm elections as the party hopes for a net gain of two or more seats in the Senate to regain the majority.

The race received national attention with the endorsement of pop star Taylor Swift, who issued a rare political statement announcing her support for Bredesen over Blackburn last month.

A poll of likely voters in the state released Friday found the race deadlocked, with both candidates at 44 percent support.