Bill To Give Party Chairs The Power To Certify Presidential Candidates In Tennessee According To Bona Fide Standard Moves To Floor

Image: Rep. Tim Rudd speaks about House Bill 0772 before the House Local Government Committee. Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

Yesterday in the House Local Government Committee, a bill that would transfer a power never had before by a state political party’s chair – certifying the party’s candidate for President – was passed by a practically unanimous vote. The bill will now move to Calendar and Rules so it can be scheduled to be heard on both floors of the General Assembly for debate and a vote. 

HB772 / SB1182, sponsored by Representative Tim Rudd (R-D34-Murfreesboro) and Senator Art Swann (R-D2-Maryville), as introduced, requires election officials to inspect filings for sufficiency and timeliness; establishes conclusive presumption that accepted filings are sufficient and timely filed. – Amends TCA Title 2.

During his presentation, Representative Tim Rudd conveyed that the bill was sent down on behalf of Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office. There was little question and answer during the presentation, and no questions were presented about whether it is a good idea to give so much power to a state political party’s chair. 

In recent weeks, there has been much upheaval within county GOP’s reorganization efforts all across the state, due to the abuse of bylaws within the party.  The lack of objective standards is creating an opportunity for those who wish to disadvantage any formidable competition for leadership within those county organizations.

All of these actions are based around the rules that define bona fide status, which is a requirement that must be met in order to run for a seat or vote for a candidate at the party level. This bill would use those same subjective standards and allow the application to a presidential candidate. This is problematic because the presidential candidates are very typically from out of state, and thus measuring whether or not the candidate would meet what Tennessee considers “bona fide”, would be totally arbitrary. 

The bona fide status issue is the result of a lack of closed primaries in Tennessee, an issue that nearly always only benefits establishment republicans, since more often than not, they are the folks who generally benefit from the crossover voting of disaffected Democrats who don’t have a candidate in the race but want to make sure the least conservative candidate is the one who prevails.

Once the bill is set on the calendar it will be heard on the floors of both chambers and if passed will go to the governor’s desk for his signature. 

If you believe this legislation gives too much power to the Volunteer State’s political party chairs, please contact your legislator here, and ask them to remove Section 1 of the amendment to HB772/SB1182. 

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.