Haslam is the establishment choice. If Marsha Blackburn gets in, she will stand a pretty good chance of winning. If she doesn’t get in, Joe Carr probably will. He could win, but probably wouldn’t be the favorite to do so. We either need Haslam out or Blackburn in. Either one would probably work. We definitely don’t need multiple conservatives running. (The stench of Van Hilleary’s run still lingers.)
Carr is too damaged to make any headway in this race. He would only serve to divide the field on the right.