Rep. Tim Burchett, R-TN, recently announced that he is running for Senate in Tennessee. He wants to succeed Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, who will leave the Senate in two months after being elected as Tennessee’s first female Governor.

Burchett and Blackburn are really good friends, as the two have been seen campaigning together on numerous occasions during the 2026 cycle. Blackburn could easily appoint Burchett to her seat once she is sworn in as Governor.

Following Burchett’s announcement, there have been circulating rumors that R.I.N.O. and soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader, John Thune, R-SD, doesn’t want Burchett in the Senate and will actively try to discourage Blackburn from appointing him to her seat.

Why doesn’t Thune want Burchett in the Senate? What is Thune’s problem with the Tennessee Congressman?

The Gateway Pundit caught up with Burchett on Capitol Hill to talk about these recent developments in an exclusive interview.

“I’d like to be there, but we’ll see. Senator Blackburn’s working on her transition team for Governor right now. She’s laser-focused on that, as she should be. She’s got ’til at least January or more to make a decision on that,” Burchett told TGP.

Burchett then talked about what inspired him to pursue a position in the Senate and leave the House of Representatives:

“I think frustration mostly. Frustration of sending legislation to the Senate to die is one, and I think somebody like myself would have the opportunity to stop something procedurally because of the spending, or if it was this Democrat socialist movement was pushing the legislation through, I’d try to stop it regardless of what leadership said. We’re gonna lose our country, and we need to address some of these things.”

The conversation then shifted to Thune reportedly trying to sabotage Burchett’s chances of making it into the Senate.

“I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think he knows who I am, probably,” Burchett told TGP.

“Governor-elect Blackburn’s team has announced that it’s gonna be decided in Tennessee, not in Washington, so that makes me very happy.”

Burchett was likely joking about Thune “not knowing who he as,” as he recently took the opportunity to fire back at Thune:

“I love the fact that he’s not for me,” Burchett said. “You know what? You’re exactly right. The big boys are not for me.”

If Burchett could be a thorn in Thune’s side, then it strengthens his case for wanting to serve in the Senate, especially given the embarrassing midterm results in 2026, in which Thune played a huge role in those failures.

As Republicans head into the political wilderness and reflect on the future of their party, the current GOP leadership must be called into question.

We certainly need a breath of fresh air in the Republican Senate Caucus. Can Tim Burchett deliver on that?

The post “I Don’t Think He Knows Who I Am” – Rep. Tim Burchett Shrugs Off Rumors That John Thune Doesn’t Want Him In The Senate – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.