Conservative Representative Bryan Richey Running For Tennessee Senate: A Look At His Voting Record
Background Image Credit: Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Conservative Representative Bryan Richey (R-Maryville-District 20) is running for State Senate District 2 in the Republican primary slated for August 1st, 2024. Richey faces two Republican challengers in the primary in a district which represents Blount, Monroe, Polk, and part of Bradley counties.
District 2 has been represented by Senator Art Swann – now 71-years-old – since 2017. Swann announced in January that he would not seek reelection.
Richey was endorsed by The Tennessee Conservative when he ran for his current House seat and subsequently unseated incumbent Bob Ramsey by a margin of 30 percentage points.
Having assumed office in November, 2022, Richey has spent only two years as a state representative, but has already made a name for himself as a defender of freedom and champion of newer Conservative ideals.
The GOP has been making a shift from the old style of neo-conservatism to a new populist brand of conservatism since Donald Trump was first elected president. Social issues, abandoned decades ago by Republicans, such as the transgender agenda, porn on school library shelves and abortion bans in a post Roe Tennessee, are now in the spotlight.
In light of this change in direction, what has Richey’s brief voting record in the Tennessee General Assembly produced so far and what can we expect if he is elected as state senator?
Read on to find out.
Highlights from the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions include:
Selected as Conservative Legislator of the Year.
Richey was awarded our Tough Tusk Award as a freshman legislator in The Tennessee Conservative’s 2023 RINO Report.
We selected him as Conservative Legislator of the Year on the House side of the Tennessee General Assembly out of all the state representatives that year.
For his dedication to conservative values, his voting record and sponsorship of bills consistent with those values, the Conservative Club of Tellico also recognized Richey as Tennessee Conservative of the Year for 2023.
Sponsoring a Bill to Protect Voter Integrity.
In his first year as a State Representative, Richey was the Prime Sponsor of a bill, HB0835, seeking to aid in voter integrity by cleaning up voter lists. The Coordinator of Elections would have been required to compare the statewide voter registration database with other relevant databases to purge voters who had moved. Coordinator of Elections would have also been required to compare the statewide voter registration database with the Department of Safety database to ensure non-U.S. citizens are not registered to vote in Tennessee. The legislation was “hijacked” by the chairman of the House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee, Rep. Gary Hicks, without the bill sponsor’s consent and taken off notice for the remainder of the 2023 session.
But the bill made a comeback this year, was passed, and signed into law on May 3rd, 2024.
Sponsoring a Bill to Close Primaries.
Richey also carried another voting related bill, HB0405, which sought to prescribe a process by which a person must declare a statewide political party or recognized minor party affiliation before voting in a primary election and would have designated unaffiliated registered voters as independents. Killed by Voice Vote in the House Local Government Committee when Chairman John Crawford counted that the No votes outnumbered the Ayes, Richey later reported that the Ayes actually outnumbered the Noes. Six Republicans requested to be recorded as voting Aye. Additionally, Richey noted three more representatives that voted affirmatively which would have made the Aye vote the majority.
Sponsoring Legislation To Ban the Genderbending Mutilation of Minors.
A co-sponsor for HB0001, Richey was one of thirty-five Republicans in the House that put their name on legislation that prohibits medical procedures for minors with the sole purpose of enabling them to identify or live an identity inconsistent with their sex. The bill became law in 2023.
Protecting Children from Lewd Drag Queen Performances.
Richey was also a co-sponsor for HB0009, signed into law last year, which creates as an offense any person engaging in “adult cabaret” performance, including Drag Queen shows, which could be viewed by children.
Protecting Tennesseans from Risky Data Sharing Apps.
Richey was one of just fourteen Republican reps to co-sponsor HB1445.
The legislation expands a ban on accessing apps and social media platforms owned or hosted by a company based in the People’s Republic of China to included public postsecondary institutions that provide internet access to students, faculty, staff, or the general public. The state had previously banned such platforms, like TikTok, on government networks and devices. Individuals now have to use their own data plans to access platforms that risk sharing data with the Chinese government.
Co-Sponsoring a Bill to Support Teachers Who Are Victims of Assault by Students.
Richey was one of eight Republican reps to co-sponsor bill HB0892 to expand the educator’s bill of rights to include a teacher’s right to report an offense of assault and battery, or vandalism committed by a student on school property, and for the right for educators to receive benefits during an absence from assigned duties due to injuries caused by a criminal act.
Co-Sponsoring Legislation Prohibiting Local Governments From Financing Abortion.
Richey co-sponsored a bill, HB0090, prohibiting local governments from expending funds for the purposes of assisting a woman in obtaining a criminal abortion.
Helping Children Get the Educational Support They Need.
Richey co-sponsored a bill, HB0068, that expanded the number or children eligible for access to after school learning camps. The law requires LEAS to conduct summer learning camps and after-school learning mini-camps annually instead of ending after the 2021-2022 school year. Revising the definition of “priority student,” allows additional “at-risk” students entering certain grade levels to get added educational support.
The Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Richey a whopping 99 out of 100 for his voting score and an A for leadership for the 2023 legislative session. On the report card which can be seen in full HERE. Less than half of Richey’s campaign contributions came from “special interests” donations.
Sponsoring Legislation to Stop Illegal Immigration Into the State.
In 2024, Richey was the Prime Sponsor of a bill, HB2078, that sought to prohibit any person from transporting an illegal alien into the state. The legislation would have increased existing fines from $1,000 to $5,000 per person and would have also removed current exemptions in Tennessee law for commercial carriers. Three Republican Senators killed the bill when they voted against it in the Senate Judiciary Committee along with two Democrats.
Supporting Increased Penalties for Assaults Against Law Enforcement Officers.
Richey was a co-sponsor on the “Back the Blue Act,” HB1881, which increases the penalty for assault against a law enforcement officer from a Class A misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum 30-day sentence and $5,000 fine to a Class E felony with a mandatory minimum 60-day sentence and $10,000 fine.
Supporting the Ultimate Penalty For Those Found Guilty of Raping Children.
Richey co-sponsored HB1663 which was signed into law this May. The legislation authorized the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child.
Taking a Stand for Transparency.
Early on in the 113th General Assembly of 2024, Richey proposed a rule change hat would have required all votes in House Committee hearings to be roll call votes instead of voice votes. The current practice of voice votes does not keep a record of how representatives vote in a committee hearing, relying instead on lawmakers to make a request for the clerk to record their vote if they so wish.
When Richey took his stand for total transparency, not one Democrat or Republican on the committee voted in favor.
Richey also sponsored a bill to establish a referendum on term limits for lawmakers. This would have enabled Tennesseans to vote to put a term limit of 16 years on their locally elected public officials but the measure was voted down by the Republican majority in the House Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee.
Richey’s two challengers in the primary are John Pullias and Tom Hatcher.
Pullias, a native Tennessean who graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a double minor in Economics and Finance, is the owner of Chilhowee Inn in Walland, Tennessee, a business consultant, and owner/operator of long-term rental properties in Blount and Monroe counties.
About his intentions in running for office, Pullias said, “I have no hidden agenda. My goal is to utilize my business experience and Christian values to serve the people of Tennessee.” One of his stated goals if elected is the eliminate the sales tax on state grocery sales.
Hatcher boasts over 40 years of dedicated service in local government. He was Blount County Sheriff’s deputy for a decade, and served as the Blount County Circuit Court Clerk for nearly 30 years. He was also Chair of the County Officials Legislative Committee for 8 years, and Chair of the State Circuit Court Clerks Committee for 15 years.
The clear favorite of establishment Republicans, if campaign contributions mean anything, Hatcher has so far received contributions from the political action committees of sitting Senators Jack Johnson, Ken Yager, Jon Lundberg, and John Stevens.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
Thanx!
BRYAN RICHEY IS FABULOUS!!!! What is even more fabulous is that he is apparently self-funding with more than enough money so those of us who would love to contribute to his campaign needn’t bother.
I say that because I don’t remember seeing a campaign website that doesn’t request donations while providing a way(s) to send those donations. If by chance Bryan could use some money, would someone please ask him to do something about his website.
CORRECTION!!!! After combing Bryan’s website again I FOUND A WAY TO CONTRIBUTE!!!!! Please go to the menu “Volunteer-Get a Yard Sign” then scroll past the places that ask you for your name/address etc. you will see choices for participation the first choice is “I would like to make a financial contribution” then hit “Volunteer” which takes you to a statement then NOTHING.
i don’t know what happens next but wish me good luck. Sorry, is this some sort of droll East Tennessee joke?
Out of all three R and one D I believe Ryann Richey is the man for the job. Watching his interactions on the House floor, No one can pull the Wool over his eyes.