Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander announced he would not seek re-election in 2020 and rumblings that a very famous alumnus from the Volunteer State could step in to fill his seat have already begun.
Peyton Manning for Senate
Peyton Manning, an NFL legend and former University of Tennessee quarterback, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the seat by several pundits. It has also been speculated by at least one current representative.
Manning’s name has popped up occasionally in such discussions, most recently as a replacement for Bob Corker who is also slated to retire. He is an active Republican in the Bush/Establishment mold.
one Tennessee Rep. speculated to me that Peyton Manning would run for this seat if Alexander retires ? https://t.co/6H9td93DrH
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) December 17, 2018
Will He Or Won’t He?
In a 2017 article by the Intelligencer, Peyton is discussed as a possible Corker replacement but noted he was “more likely to wait until 2020, when Senator Lamar Alexander, who will be 80 on Election Day, faces reelection.”
Alexander’s retirement certainly opens that door wide.
Manning, though, quickly dispelled those rumors saying he doesn’t have any interest.
“I certainly have an interest in politics and in our country,” Manning said. “I just have zero interest in being a politician.”
In politics, people’s minds are changed frequently and Peyton could conceivably be thinking differently these days.
Is that Peyton Manning’s music I hear on the local TN breeze? https://t.co/0SSmEtd3Wi
— David French (@DavidAFrench) December 17, 2018
What Kind of Republican is Manning?
The Intelligencer report refers to Manning as an Establishment Republican who has donated thousands to GOP politicians such as the late Fred Thompson, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney.
Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, Manning donated the maximum amount of $2,700 to the Jeb Bush campaign.
Peyton gave a dinner speech to congressional Republican leaders in January of 2017 in which he “told stories and talked about teamwork and leadership.”
The event was also attended by the President, and reports indicated that despite Manning’s support for ‘low-energy Jeb,’ he “is friendly with Trump.”
Manning took a stand against other high-profile athletes who have refused invitations from President Trump to join him for varying events, saying it’s “almost un-American” to turn down such an honor. Manning himself had joined Trump on the golf course.
“No matter what your beliefs are, I heard Arnold Palmer say one time, ‘If the president of the United States ever asks you to play golf, you do it,’” the two-time Super Bowl Champion said. “It’s a no-brainer. And it was a fantastic experience.”
“It was just the experience of playing with the office that was pretty cool to me,” he added. “And I think it would have been almost un-American to have said no.”
