On Friday, Mike Pence endorsed Rep. Diane Black in Thursday's competitive GOP primary for governor of Tennessee. Pence's move came a day after termed-out Gov. Bill Haslam, who leads the Republican Governors Association, publicly urged the White House not to take sides.
Haslam has remained neutral in the primary to succeed him, but his committee reportedly is wary of having Black as their nominee. The New York Times recently wrote that party officials have been trying to deter Donald Trump from endorsing Black, an administration ally who has been trying to win over his support. The paper said that unnamed Republicans fear that Black would at the very least force them to spend money in this conservative state, and may even give Team Blue an opening.
It's not clear why they think Black would be so problematic, though it's possible that they’re wary that her time in D.C. would give Democrats a strong line of attack against her. Black faces businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee and state House Speaker Beth Harwell in a contest without a clear frontrunner.