Tennessee GOP Updates Bylaws For Candidates Seeking Republican Nomination For Public Office
Image Credit: Tennessee Republican Party / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
The Tennessee Republican Party recently updated the sections of their bylaws regarding potential candidates. New amendments and changes to the previous bylaws clarify what the Tennessee GOP now considers as “bona fide” and lays out the requirements for potential candidates to gain the Republican nomination for public office.
The Tennessee Conservative strongly recommends that potential candidates review the bylaws if they are seeking a nomination by the Tennessee GOP.
View previous version of the Tennessee GOP bylaws HERE.
View the changes to the Tennessee GOP bylaws HERE or the complete bylaws HERE.
The changes to the section dealing with candidates (Article IX) are outlined below.
Article IX was given the title “Party Membership for Candidacy to Public Office” and amended to open with “In addition to requirements imposed by applicable law, any individual seeking election as a Republican candidate for public office must be a “bona fide Republican.” The burden of proving to the TRP that an individual meets its membership requirements is on the prospective candidate.” – Article IX, Section 1A.
The new amendments add defined and expanded requirements for what it means to be a “bona fide Republican” to the Tennessee GOP.
The bylaws define “bona fide Republican” as an individual who is actively involved in the Tennessee Republican Party, the county Republican Party of the county in which the individual resides, or a TRP-recognized auxiliary organization.
The candidate must also be registered to vote in the above-noted county; and have voted in at least three (3) of the four (4) most recent statewide Republican primary elections.
Regarding what it means to be “actively involved,” the new expanded requirements state this includes “attending TRP meetings or events, regularly attending Republican county party meetings or events; being a member of a recognized auxiliary organization for at least one year; working on the campaign of a Republican candidate for office in the most recent previous election cycle; contribution of money to the TRP, a county party, any recognized auxiliary organization, or to a Republican candidate committee with confirmation by the candidate or candidate’s campaign official provided.”
However, such activity must have occurred during the time period that has elapsed since the most recent reorganization of the county Republican party in the county in which the prospective candidate resides.
The bylaws were also amended to state that beginning in 2026, (notwithstanding anything to the contrary to Article IX, Section 1A), an individual who has voted in any of the most recent four statewide primary elections held by a party other than the applicable Republican Party will be ineligible to seek the Republican nomination for any public office in Tennessee.
Article IX, Section 1C was added to the bylaws to state that “an individual who has brought legal action against the TRP or any county Republican Party will be ineligible to seek the Republican nomination for any public office in Tennessee within ten years of the final resolution of such legal action unless the individual is successful, as determined by the applicable judge or jury, on all claims made against the named defendant(s) in such action.”
In addition, Article IX, Section 2 was altered to state that “The TRP, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual from running as a Republican candidate if it determines the individual does not meet the standards or requirements set forth in this Article IX. In addition, individual Republican voters may challenge an individual’s bona fide Republican status for purposes of seeking public office..”
Article IX, Section 2A changes the number of registered voters needed to challenge an individual’s bona fide status from two (2) to five (5) within the the district in which the challenged candidate has filed to run and excludes State Executive Committee (SEC) members.
Article IX, Section 2B was added and states, “In the event of any dispute about a prospective candidate’s qualification to seek office as a Republican or request for a waiver of TRP requirements, the final decision is within the TRP’s sole discretion. Any prospective candidate who is disqualified or challenged will be notified by the TRP and may respond to the decision and/or challenge provided that the response is provided to the TRP by its applicable deadlines.”
The final relevant changes are with the addition of another subsection – Article IX, Section 2C which states:
“Any challenge to, or request for a waiver of, an individual’s qualification to seek public office as a Republican will be determined by a majority vote of the following:
the State Chairman, each SEC member who represents any portion of the district covered by the individual’s proposed candidacy, and the SEC Political Subcommittee.”
“To avoid doubt, the SEC Political Subcommittee will have one collective vote. SEC members who serve on the Political Subcommittee shall not vote in the Political
Subcommittee on any challenge or waiver related to their respective districts.”
“Neither the SEC nor any portion or subcommittee thereof is required to follow the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, or any other
standards required in American courts of law or equity in considering and determining any challenge or request for a waiver.”
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
They had better stop endorsing people who are known to be Leftists – true RINO’s. An example is a guy on the Williamson School Board – a known Leftist in favor of CRT and every Leftist idea who the Williamson GOP endorsed and, as a result, ALL of those officers were defeated. They blamed Scott Golden and the State GOP and said they were forced to endorse the Leftist.
Hogwash! TRP should just outright acknowledge they will choose all candidates for office. That’s what happens anyway!
So in other words, Golden and the good old boys club will decide who will be allowed to run for all state offices.
The GOP in general is out of touch with the base, and obliviously suicidal. The base is tired if the lies, corruption, and far left nuts with an “R” next to their name who stab us in the back. Williamson doesn’t have a single Republican office holder who wouldn’t make Pelosi and AOC proud.
After ’24, the Republican party will be essentially done. New parties will emerge that actually represent the voters.
TNGOP, once again proving it’s anti-Conservative. They’re worse’n useless.
No problem. No matter how disgusted we get conservatives must stay in and active WITHIN the Republican Party. NO THIRD PARTY/STAY HOME AND SULK NONSENSE PLEASE. After doing so we get the centrists/tepid conservatives in the Republican primaries. That’s where we score our victories, or at least make one heck of an impression. See, Gary Humble vs. Jack Johnson 2022.
I hate to realize that MY TRP has become so Anti-independent thinking as to force one to vote for a candidate that has been “approved” by the TRP to become eligible if one will NOT vote for a candidate
they happen to have approved. This will not have my support or approval. There are numerous republican candidates; state, local, or Federal that I have a right to vote independent, or not vote at all.
As and addition, to the above, having a lawsuit against the TRP be litigated by them is laughable.