Is Peyton Manning eyeing a Senate run?


The quarterback feinted left, spun out of the pocket, and made a run for ... Capitol Hill?
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker (R), who announced Tuesday that he would not seek a third term in the Senate, said Wednesday that he thinks it's "possible" former NFL signal-caller Peyton Manning will run for his seat. Manning, who retired from the league in 2016 after leading the Denver Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50, played four years of college football at the University of Tennessee.
"If he were to run, nobody in their right mind would consider running against him," Corker said, per Politico. He tempered expectations by insisting he thinks a run is "possible," but not likely. "I don't think it's going to happen," Corker said, but he acknowledged Manning "is the kind of guy that would be great in public office."
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Manning is close with Corker, having donated to his campaigns in 2006 and 2012 in addition to donations to Corker's Tennessee compatriot in Washington, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R).
But don't expect Manning to charge into the Senate just yet. Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R) told Business Insider that he thought Manning might be eyeing Alexander's seat in 2020, should he retire, and not Corker's, which will open next year. And Corker himself was steadfast in staunching the rumors: "I would not be putting in the headlines today that he's going to be running for Senate," he said Wednesday.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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