A Political Civil War Is Brewing Among Republicans In Williamson County

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By Don Beehler [contributor to The Tennessee Conservative] – 

The March 4 election for eight Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP) board seats has produced bitter losers and accusations of cheating, creating a deep divide among Republicans. One side simply refuses to accept the fact that the majority of voters elected the other slate, and is actively working against the WCRP and the Tennessee Republican Party (TNGOP).

As a result, a political civil war of sorts is brewing in our historically congenial county. Many are confused and not sure what to believe. How did we get here? A little background on events leading up to the WCRP’s 2025 reorganization convention may be helpful. 

On one side was a group of candidates who call themselves the Williamson County Conservatives (WCC); on the other side was the Elevate candidates, five of whom had been on the previous WCRP board and were seeking reelection. 

False Accusations

Significantly, five of the eight WCC candidates were not even members of the WCRP, the party they sought to lead. The group was chaired by Brian Clifford, a Williamson County Commissioner.

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After announcing their candidacies, the WCC immediately began attacking their opponents and the WCRP board with outlandish accusations but failed to provide proof of their claims. One of the most the serious—but utterly bogus—charges was that the Elevate candidates and numerous other upstanding local Republicans, including one individual who was out of the country during the convention, were engaged in a conspiracy to “rig the election.” 

(Interesting side note: The WCC hosted their own registration site, hoarding more than 900 names and then dumped them on the convention organizers at the last minute in an effort to cause the very “chaos” about which they now complained.)

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A Stinging Blow to the Establishment

TN Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R), TN Rep. Lee Reeves (R) and a host of other establishment figures threw their support behind the WCC candidates, yet all eight lost to the Elevate slate. Needless to say, this grassroots victory was a stinging blow to the establishment. 

The WCC subsequently appealed the election results to the state GOP, but after reviewing the facts the TNGOP’s State Election Commission (SEC) members voted 59-0 to uphold Elevate’s victory. (The new board’s rebuttal to the WCC’s accusations and supporting exhibits are available on the WCRP’s website.)

Normally, this would be the end of a hard-fought campaign, where the losing side congratulates the winners and pledges to come together as fellow Republicans to help the new board advance the Republican Party platform. But instead of cooperating with the new board, the WCC has since made increasingly hostile and desperate accusations against WCRP’s leadership and the TNGOP.

Undermining Republican Leadership

The WCC vowed on Facebook “to thwart their [the WCRP’s] nefarious plans at every turn.” They went on to describe the new board as the “Hateful Eight,” suggested George Soros’ group may be financing them and compared the TNGOP to a Soviet-style entity, declaring its 59 voting SEC members were guilty of “corruption and collusion.”

In the weeks that followed, the group set up competing social events the same night as the WCRP’s events, and the WCC PAC began selling memberships to compete with WCRP memberships. Pejorative attacks have intensified in what appears to be a well-financed effort to damage the reputation of WCRP’s leadership and impede their ability to implement the mandate voters elected them to fulfill. 

Olive Branch Rejected

Throughout the campaign, the Elevate candidates consistently focused on issues, solutions and a positive vision for Williamson County Republicans. They refused to engage in personal attacks. Post-election, the new WCRP board has extended an olive branch to the WCC and made efforts to heal this rift and unify the party, but to no avail. 

Unfortunately, the WCC continues to ignore the truth and promote deception for selfish gain. Reportedly some WCC supporters have become disillusioned by their behavior and quietly backed away from the group. After all, negativity and rage are hard to maintain long term.  

As self-described “conservatives,” the WCC seems to have forgotten one of President Reagan’s most famous quotes: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” A slightly revised version of his quote would be applicable to the situation in Williamson County: “Thou shalt not go to war with fellow Republicans.” 

What’s the Agenda?

In cases like this, it’s useful to ask a few questions:

• Who is funding the WCC? According to the WCC PAC’s Q4 2024 financial disclosure, 70% of the money went to a political consultant who reportedly formed his for-profit organization in California and subsequently relocated to Franklin, Tenn. 
• Who is benefiting from this ongoing chaos (besides the Democrats), and what is their agenda? 
• What is the motivation behind the WCC’s blatant attempt to hamper the WCRP and divide Republicans? 
• Why are Scott Golden, chair of the TNGOP, and the SEC members allowing such behavior to continue among those who ran for leadership positions in our local Republican party without any consequences? At a minimum the WCC candidates should be censured (as was requested by the WCRP board members in their rebuttal) for their false accusations; their efforts to sow confusion and suspicion into the election process; and their outrageous defamation against fellow Republicans. 
• What precedent is being set by allowing the WCC candidates to retain their bona fide status in light of their continued disloyalty to the Republican Party and their ongoing efforts to undermine it by setting up a competing entity? 

Questions for Jack Johnson and Lee Reeves

It also seems reasonable to ask Sen. Johnson and Rep. Reeves the following questions:

• Do they still support the WCC now that the group is openly seeking to split the party and divide Republicans? 
• Are they concerned about the attacks on the WCRP/TNGOP and the precedent they set? 
• Will they publicly denounce the WCC’s disloyal conduct and lack of civility toward fellow Republicans?
• Do they believe the March 4 convention was rigged, and if so, what evidence do they have to support this accusation? 
• What do they think about the WCC’s vow to continue thwarting the WCRP board’s efforts to unify and expand the party?
• Why is “conservative” Jack Johnson the featured guest at a WCC event this month called “Republican Rise and Shine,” knowing the group is undermining the WCRP and the TNGOP? By doing so, Sen. Johnson is publicly opposing the duly elected Williamson County GOP leadership and apparently agrees with the WCC that the SEC is guilty of “corruption and collusion.”

Our elected Republican representatives in Williamson County need to be clear about where they stand on the WCC’s actions, which are damaging to the local and state Republican parties. It’s time for our GOP leaders to lead and show loyalty to the party that supported them.

About the Author: Don Beehler is a retired public relations consultant in Franklin, Tennessee. He served as a volunteer in the Elevate campaign.