Tennessee’s Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally Will NOT Seek Reelection

Image Credit: Senator Jack Johnson / Facebook

***Note from The Tennessee Conservative – this article posted here for informational purposes only.

The Center Square [By Kim Jarrett] with excerpts from The Tennessee Lookout –

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally will not run for reelection, ending a 48-year tenure in state office.

McNally, 82, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1978, then ran successfully for the Senate in 1986. He has served as lieutenant governor since 2017.

“It has been the honor of my life to represent the people of my community and serve the people of Tennessee,” McNally said. “My public service has been a team effort every step of the way. I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated. My aim each day was to leave my state and my community a little better than I found them. Together, I believe we have done just that.”

The Tennessee lieutenant governor’s post is not an elected position, as in other states, but is chosen by the Senate at the beginning of each legislative term to preside over the chamber.

From The Tennessee Lookout:

After a lobbyist for the bingo industry offered him $10,000 in exchange for his votes to legalize horse racing, McNally worked with the FBI during the bureau’s probe of political corruption in state government, wearing a wire throughout the investigation.

The sting, called “Operation Rocky Top,” became public knowledge in 1989. Subsequently, Secretary of State Gentry Crowell and Rep. Ted Ray Miller, both Democrats, committed suicide and several officials went to prison for their roles. 

McNally survived a vote of ‘no confidence’ from his Senate colleagues in 2023 after reports he commented from his public Instagram account on photos of scantily clad young gay men. 

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McNally received accolades from his colleagues after his announcement.

“His retirement brings an end to an era of legislative leadership and service in the Tennessee General Assembly dating back to when he was first elected to the House in 1978,” said Sen. Bo Watson in a social media post. “It has been an honor to serve with him.”

Cosby Republican Jeremy Faison, who announced in January he would not seek reelection to his Senate post, called McNally a “pillar of politics.”

“His decades of dedicated public service from his first election in 1978 through his leadership as the state’s highest-ranking legislative officer, have been defined by humble commitment, steady guidance, and outstanding stewardship of our state’s future,” McNally said on social media. “He’s left an enduring legacy of principled leadership, fiscal responsibility, and genuine care for the people of Tennessee.”

McNally’s retirement means two of the three top positions in Tennessee government will change in the 2027-28 legislative session. Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited and cannot seek office again.

From The Tennessee Lookout:

Majority Leader Jack Johnson is thought to be a likely candidate to replace McNally as lieutenant governor, as are Sen. Bo Watson of Hamilton County and Sen. Paul Bailey of Sparta.