Current Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander might not run again in 2020.
Why does that matter for Tennessee football fans? Well, maybe it’s a non-issue, but Politico.com has an interesting note about what that could mean in relationship to a Tennessee football legend.
“Several Republicans are wondering whether Peyton Manning will run for Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) seat when he retires,” Politco writes in a notebook of political updates on Friday. “GOP insiders say Alexander won’t run for another term in 2020.”
While we can’t know for sure if Manning has legitimate interest in that, or any other political aspirations, we do know that Manning spoke at the GOP Retreat this week in Philadelphia and has made contributions to Republican candidates in the past.
He may not currently have any formal political experience, but with his popularity in the state of Tennessee, it’s tough to imagine him losing in that race.
Manning’s predecessor as quarterback at Tennessee, Heath Shuler, went on to be a U.S. Representative from North Carolina from 2007-2013 following his brief professional football career. With Manning national fame and incredibly high popularity rating in Tennessee – and perhaps elsewhere – the sky would seem to be the limit for Manning should he opt to go this route.
As for now, Manning is serving on a search committee to find Tennessee’s next AD as well as still appearing in an abundance of commercials. He’s reportedly been approached by the Indianapolis Colts for a job in the front office, but that doesn’t seem likely as of now.
