A former Congressional representative from West Tennessee is touring the state this week as he considers a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Bob Corker.

When Corker announced in late September that he would not seek re-election to the Senate, the decision came as a shock to many. Stephen Fincher said he was one of those surprised by the announcement.

Fincher served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016 representing Tennessee’s 8th District, which is located in the western portion of the state. In 2016 Fincher decided not to seek re-election to the House due to a family member suffering from a medical issue.

But, after hearing Corker’s announcement, Fincher said he began to consider returning to Congress.

“Our Christian faith is very important to us, so we prayed about it,” Fincher told the Elizabethton Star on Tuesday.

After some time in prayer and talking to other people, Fincher decided to launch a state-wide “Listening Tour” traveling from Mountain City to Memphis and meeting with people at many stops along the way. Tuesday morning he began in Mountain City before stopping by Elizabethton and moving through the Tri-Cities. He finished out the day meeting with citizens in Hamblen County.

Fincher said he wants to hear from the people of the state before he commits to a run for Senate to gauge what the citizens want.

“I think people want results,” Fincher said. “They are tired of all the dysfunction and the blame game. That’s what people are telling us.”

After he completes his state-wide trek on Friday, Fincher said he would decide on whether or not to pursue the Republican Party nomination for the Senate race. So far, though, in his interactions with citizens in his home area and those he met with on the first day of his tour Fincher said he believes he can give the people of Tennessee what they are looking for in a Senator.

“It’s super important that Tennesseans have a common sense, conservative voice in Congress,” Fincher said.

Fincher, a seventh-generation Tennessean, is a farmer from the small town of Frog Jump, which is located northeast of Memphis. Being from a small town, Fincher said he can relate to the many across the state who also hail from small towns and communities.

“I’m as frustrated by what is going on in Washington as everyone else,” Fincher said. “People want solutions to everyday problems, not just rhetoric and politics as usual.”

Among the major issues facing the nation, and Tennesseans, are healthcare, tax reform, and immigration.

“President Trump’s policies are spot on when it comes to those things,” Fincher said. “Republicans need to stand up, to man up, and get behind the President on these issues. There is no sense in Republicans being weak-kneed on these issues.”

“If we are going to get anything accomplished we need to come together and stand behind the President,” he added. “I stand with President Trump.”