Republican Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) announced Tuesday that he will not run for re-election in 2018.
Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he will retire next year when his second term expires. Before joining the Senate, the 65-year-old was a businessman and the former mayor of Chattanooga. "When I ran for the Senate in 2006, I told people that I couldn't imagine serving for more than two terms," Corker said in a statement. "Understandably, as we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen-legislator model, and while I realize it is not for everyone, I believe with the kind of service I provide, it is the right one for me."
Corker was on the short list to be President Trump's vice president and secretary of state. While he was supportive of Trump early on, Corker was critical in August, saying Trump's response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, showed he did not have the "stability" to be an effective president.
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