Tennessee's US Rep Mark Green officially reverses course, will seek reelection to Congress

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, will seek reelection despite his “strong desire” to leave Congress this year, a quick reversal from his retirement plans he announced two weeks ago.

Green’s initial retirement announcement took many by surprise, though it came amid a slew of similar retirements by high-ranking House Republicans.

The congressman’s office earlier this week confirmed he was reconsidering his decision, as reports simmered that some Tennessee Republicans had asked him to rethink his plans.

In a statement, Green said former President Donald Trump was among those encouraging him to seek reelection.

“While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider,” Green said in a statement. “I was reminded of the words of General MacArthur on a statue at West Point: ‘Duty, honor, country.’ I realized, once again: I had a duty to my country to fulfill. I will be running for re-election so I can be here on Day 1 next year to help President Trump end this border crisis once and for all."

Green's retirement would have left the Republican primary in the 7th Congressional District wide open. Green had never faced primary challenger for the seat, which now includes parts of Nashville and Davidson County after a controversial redistricting.

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat, announced in December she would seek the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District and challenge Green for the seat.

In a statement, Barry slammed Green's reversal, saying he's decided to run for a job that "just two weeks ago he said he didn’t want - just because his party bosses told him to."

"Green said himself what his bosses know, that my campaign is mounting a serious threat to flip this seat blue," Barry said. "Green’s flip-flop is just more of the same chaos and incompetence that has marked his time in Congress. As I said when I announced my campaign for this seat: Mark Green has failed to address the most pressing problems our families are facing. Green said he was leaving behind a broken Congress - dysfunction that he and his fellow extremists in the House Freedom Caucus are responsible for."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: US Rep Mark Green: Tennessee congressman will seek reelection