Retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is “listening” to Republicans urging him to run for reelection, Politico reports, “a development that would quell anxiety among Republicans over losing a must-win seat to Democrats this fall.”

“They want Corker to get back in to hold the seat and preserve waning foreign policy experience in the GOP. And there are signs that he is open to it, despite the steep uphill climb a Republican primary might entail.”

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) “has had conversations with a few colleagues in recent days about whether he should reconsider his decision to leave Congress and not seek re-election this year,” CNN reports.

“Whether it is a serious reconsideration, or just chatter with colleagues is the subject of some disagreement. There are also conflicting accounts of whether Corker has initiated the conversations, or whether he has had them with colleagues who are pushing him to think again.”

“But several sources say the issue has come up in recent conversations Corker has had with fellow Tennessean Sen. Lamar Alexander and with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, two of Corker’s friends.”

A new poll conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Tennessee finds former Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) leading Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in a U.S. Senate match up, 46% to 41% among likely voters, with 13% undecided.

With former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), he hands his party “a conceivable, if extremely narrow, path back to a Senate majority in 2018,” the New York Times reports.

“Democrats are defending 25 Senate seats next year, 10 of them in states that President Trump won. But if Mr. Bredesen can mount a strong campaign, Tennessee would join Nevada and Arizona as states where Republican-held Senate seats could be in jeopardy. Republicans currently have a two-seat majority.”

“A win by Doug Jones, a Democrat, in the Alabama special election on Tuesday would provide a wider path to the majority.”

Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) is entering the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, the Nashville Post reports.

“According to multiple sources, Bredesen began calling major donors this afternoon to confirm that he is in the race. He has been mum about a campaign since Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) announced he would step down next year, only acknowledging that he was contemplating a run. A formal announcement of his intent to run has not yet been made.”

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) “is entering the 2018 U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, ending a week’s worth of speculation and immediately catapulting her to front-runner status as others consider launching their own bids,” the Tennessean reports.

Axios: “Blackburn continues a trend of conservative, anti-establishment Republicans hoping to claim a Senate seat.”

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said he will not seek re-election next year, USA Today reports.

“Corker, a two-term senator who chairs the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had agonized for weeks over whether he should run for another term amid speculation that he would likely face a challenge from the GOP’s right flank.”