House Budget Chair Diane Black May Not See End of Term

House Budget Committee Chairwoman Diane Black, R-Tenn., may leave her congressional post to prioritize her run for governor, The Tennessean reports.

When asked at a forum for gubernatorial candidates at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville if she would see out her fourth term, which she was elected to last year, she answered, "we haven't made that decision yet."

Black added that as chair of the House Budget Committee, she doesn't want to decide on whether or not to leave until after a federal budget gets passed.

"I'm still doing what I promised I would do and that's to try to get the budget across the line," she said. "It's out of my committee, but I feel obligated to continue to work to get that done and we're working on that right now."

Black cannot serve as committee chair while she runs for an outside office without a waiver, per a Republican conference ruled named for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., according to The Hill.

Four other candidates are currently running for the GOP nomination for governor of Tennessee: former Sen. Mae Beavers, former state Economic and Development commissioner Randy Boyd, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, and business owner Bill Lee. The primaries begin in August. Former state Agriculture Commissioner John Rose and state Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, have each launched campaigns for Black's congressional seat.

• Senate GOP Looking for Budget Deal to Open Way to Tax Redo
• GOP Congressmen Concerned Over Lack Of Details on Tax Reform