Tennessee Education Association Encourages Crossover Raiding By Democrat Voters Supporting Incumbent Senator Briggs

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

The Tennessee Education Association has sent out a mailer supporting Republican Senator Richard Briggs (District 7-Knoxville) to Democrat voters alerting them that they can vote in the upcoming Republican primary election.

The mailer, sent out to Democrat voters in Briggs’ district states, “State law says you can vote in the GOP Primary.  Low turnout means your vote has a Huge Impact.  To win the big fights we need to win this election!  Stand up for our schools and ourselves: Vote!”

Although allegations that crossover voting is having a severe impact on elections in the Volunteer state is seemingly being ignored by many in positions of authority, this mailer serves as proof that Democrats and left-leaning organizations are, in fact, encouraging crossover voting (also known as crossover raiding) by Democrats in Republican primaries.  

Many concerned Republicans charge that this is a tactic to secure the election of the weakest or least Conservative Republican candidates in our Red state.  

The Tennessee GOP’s State Executive Committee’s (SEC) District 26 chairwoman, Kathryn Bryson, said,  “The motive for crossing over and voting in the other party’s primary is most often to elect the weakest candidate who might then lose to your own party’s nominee.”

SEC’s District 20 Chairwoman, Michelle Foreman, told us that efforts have been made by the Tennessee GOP to close primaries but their efforts were stymied in the Tennessee General Assembly.

“I sit on the TNGOP State Executive Committee and voted to pass a resolution (to the General Assembly) to close our primaries. That resolution passed the SEC by an overwhelming vote but the bill did not go far in the legislature,” Foreman said.

In a recent survey, conducted by The Tennessee Conservative, 97.92% of respondents stated they feel that Democrats should not be allowed to vote in Republican primaries.

97.11% replied that they feel the Governor, House Speaker and Lt. Governor should work to pass legislation that would close GOP primaries to prevent Democrat crossover voting.

The Tennessee Conservative’s 2022 RINO Report & Freedom Caucus Awards Has Arrived!

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) has actively been involved in lobbying against charter schools, school choice and partisan school board elections, among other efforts by Republican lawmakers to better the school system in Tennessee.

The consistent answer the TEA has to Tennessee school’s poor academic performance is to funnel more money into the system, an act that many Conservatives and Republicans feel is the wrong course to take.

Regarding the TEA’s pick for Republican Senator For Knoxville, District 7, incumbent Richard Briggs made the Top 5 RINOs in the Tennessee Senate in The Tennessee Conservative’s 2022 RINO Report & Freedom Caucus Awards.

The report defines RINOs as, “Republicans who actively worked with left-leaning corporations and interest groups to kill Conservative legislation for their own political benefit, voting with and governing like Democrats when it mattered most in the last legislative session. They are beholden to special interest money, which puts them at odds with the political will of Republican primary voters they claim to represent. These lawmakers and public servants may occasionally vote with Conservatives, but on the whole, they display a pattern of behavior that is contrary to the will of Conservative primary voters.”

During the last legislative session, Senator Briggs voted against HB2670/SB2290, which was legislation aimed at limiting ‘divisive teachings’ in Tennessee Universities.  

The act, now made law as Public Chapter Number 818, prohibits public institutions of higher education from requiring that students or employees embrace divisive teachings as a stipulation for any grade, diploma, employment opportunity, tenure, etc.  

Briggs sponsored legislation (HB0946/SB0148) that sought to sneak in vaccinations for minors without parental consent.  

With language broad enough to include the HPV vaccine, HepB vaccines, and two risky drugs approved for adolescents and adults to be taken to prevent HIV, the legislation sought to authorize “certain healthcare officers and providers licensed in this state to provide consultation, examination, diagnosis or treatment to a minor to prevent STDs, without the knowledge or consent of the parents of the minors.” 

Briggs also voted against making Ivermectin over the counter in Tennessee.  

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com

4 thoughts on “Tennessee Education Association Encourages Crossover Raiding By Democrat Voters Supporting Incumbent Senator Briggs

  • July 11, 2022 at 6:02 pm
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    This is disturbing, so do we have an alternative truly america first candidate that we can vote for in the primaries instead of Briggs?

    Reply
  • July 11, 2022 at 6:50 pm
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    Why we NEED closed primaries!!

    Reply
  • July 12, 2022 at 12:32 am
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    Of course this liberal organization does. That can work both ways!!

    Reply
  • July 12, 2022 at 3:15 pm
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    Shaking my head. This should be a common sense slam dunk. Somebody’s palm is getting greased.

    Reply

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