Bob Corker Retirement Puts Spotlight On Jewish Candidate (Or Two) In Deep Red Tennessee
James Mackler Image by twitter
By Nathan Guttman September 27, 2017
Bob Corker’s surprise announcement Tuesday that he will not seek re-election in 2018 could put in play what was once a safe GOP seat.
For Democrats, hoping to ride an anti-Trump wave and to flip as many seats as possible, this means taking another look at James Mackler, the only Democrat currently in the Tennessee race. Mackler is a Jewish attorney from Nashville who served as Blackhawk helicopter pilot with the 101st Airborne Division and is married to a rabbi.
“I am running for the United States Senate to work as hard as I can to restore respect, honesty, and, most importantly, integrity in Washington,” Mackler told the Tennessean Tuesday.
But Corker’s decision not to run could also spell some bad news for Mackler. With an open seat and Democrats sensing a chance for a flip, the party may chose to seek a more seasoned candidate to lead the race, rather than Mackler who is only now making his first steps in the political world.
Another Jewish name thrown into the ring is that of David Kustoff, a Republican freshman congressman who is rumored to be eying the vacant Senate seat. Kustoff has yet to announce his intentions.
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
