The Tennessee state lawmaker who announced Tuesday that he will challenge Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has already lost a campaign aide, who said he’ll be supporting the incumbent next year.
In an open letter, GOP strategist Chip Saltsman said that he’ll be leaving state Rep. Joe Carr’s (R-TN) campaign, saying that he joined Carr’s team to help him get elected to Congress, not U.S. Senate. Saltsman, a former adviser to ex-Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and a frequent MSNBC panelist, added that he intends to back Alexander in the race.
“It is because of Lamar Alexander that people like you have the honor of serving in the majority of the state legislature,” Saltsman wrote. “It is because of Lamar Alexander that our children and grandchildren go to better schools, and are able to compete for better jobs. It is because of Lamar Alexander that we live in a state people want to move to, start a family in, start a business in, and even retire to. I am honored to support Lamar Alexander for re-election.”
Read the entire letter here.