Tennessee State Senator Rusty Crowe Running For Reelection: A Look At His Voting Record

Image Credit: State Senator Rusty Crowe / Facebook & Antony-22 /CC

Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –

Longtime State Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City-District 3), who calls himself “the rock of the General Assembly,” is up for reelection this August. Here, we offer a look at some highlights from his voting record during the most recent years of his 36-year tenure in the Tennessee legislature so conservative voters can determine if this moniker is well-earned or if his primary opponent may have something to offer.

2021

Crowe joined several conservative lawmakers in requesting a special session of the General Assembly to address mandates, executive orders, and dangerous edicts coming from the federal government during the covid era. 

He said at the time, “I feel certain that this Federal overreach will all be fought out in the courts but feel it necessary that the Legislature be called back into session such that we might take any action as required to protect the constitutional rights of the people we all represent. I have always championed less government intervention, personal responsibility, faith, family, and parental authority.”

2022

Co-sponsored Legislation To Stop Surprise Medical Billing: This bill sought to put an end to the practice of “balance billing” wherein provider bill a patient for the difference between the amount they charge and the amount covered by the patient’s insurance. SB0001 was intended to replicate the federal “No Surprises Act” of 2020 and passed the Tennessee Senate unanimously, but stalled in the House. 

Sponsored Legislation Preserving End-Of-Life Visitations: SB2574 requires nursing homes and assisted living facilities to allow at least one visitor during end-of-life situations during any emergency event so long as the visitor meets certain conditions. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.

Co-Sponsored Legislation Creating OTC Access To Ivermectin: SB2188 authorizes pharmacies to sell ivermectin over the counter to Tennesseans as a more natural treatment option, particularly for covid. Crowe said of the legislation, which went on to become state law, “Ivermectin is of the many therapeutic options… that have proven to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19. This bill will provide for a safe and effective way for patients to quickly access Ivermectin over the counter and under supervision of their pharmacists and the physician with whom the pharmacists have their collaborative agreement.” 

2023

Crowe was named as one of the Top 5 Conservative Senators in the 2023 edition of the RINO Report.

Sponsored A Bill Adding “In God We Trust” To State Seal: A simple bill, SB0420 requested the governor to a submit a redesigned Tennessee state seal that incorporates the national motto. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and cleared the House mainly along party lines before becoming law.

Prevented State Government From Ownership in Private Corporations: SJR0034 was a proposed constitutional amendment allowing Tennessee to invest funds in private companies like Ford or the Titans, becoming legitimate shareholders, linking the success and failure of the state and corporate entities together, and inserting government control into private business. Crowe’s “No” vote on the resolution helped prevent it from reaching the threshold for passage.

Supported Homeschool Freedoms: By voting “Yes” on SB0644, Crowe ensured homeschool parents would no longer be required to provide proof of immunizations and receipt of health services or examinations to local education agencies, securing parents’ rights to protect their homeschooled child’s privacy and make their own healthcare choices for their children.

Co-sponsored Legislation Criminalizing Sexualized Public Performances: Protecting children from being exposed to drag shows and highly sexualized performances in public spaces, SB0003 enacted consequences for participating individuals in the form of a Class A misdemeanor for first violations and a Class E felony for subsequent offenses. The bill passed mainly along party lines in both chambers before being signed into law by Gov. Lee. 

Voted To Check Immigration Status Of Potential Voters: SB0137 aimed to clean up voter rolls and aid in election integrity by requiring the coordinator of elections to compare the statewide voter registration database with the department of safety database to ensure non-U.S. citizens were not registered to vote in the state. The legislation eventually became state law after passing along party lines in both chambers.

2024

Secured Religious Exemptions For Vaccinations For Foster & Adoptive Families: Helping to expand the much-needed pool of foster and adoptive parents, SB2359 prohibits the Department of Children’s Services from requiring an immunization as a condition of adopting or overseeing a child in foster care if the parents object to the vaccinations due to religious or moral convictions. This change not only respects the diversity of beliefs within the state, but also potentially increases the number of safe and loving homes available to foster children.

Voted To Increase Criminal Accountability For Illegal Aliens: SB2770 authorizes the court to enhance statutory penalties, up to imprisonment for life without parole, for criminal convictions under certain circumstances involving illegal aliens. 

Defined Foods Containing Vaccines As Drugs: Defining food containing a vaccine or vaccine materials as a drug for the purposes of the Tennessee Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, SB1903 ensures that any food carrying edible vaccine material is legally defined and regulated as a “drug”. This distinction protects consumers and helps them avoid potential confusion between actual food and foods carrying a pharmaceutical product. Crowe helped pass this bill into law with his “Yes” vote.

Voted To Prevent Pride Flags From Being Displayed In Classrooms: SB1722 would have banned certain flags, including Pride and other ideological flags, from being displayed in public school classrooms. The bill passed the House and made it all the way to the Senate floor but died when several Republicans opted not to vote on the measure, causing it to fail to reach the required majority threshold for passage.

Spoke Against Publicly Funded Liberal Political Opinion Exhibit Masquerading As Art: While not a piece of legislation, Sen. Crowe was outspoken against the Fletcher Exhibit at East Tennessee State University’s Reece Museum which invited artists to submit pieces addressing “global issues”. However, pieces on display equated Nazi swastikas with Christian crosses and likened conservatives and Christians to Adolf Hitler. Crowe called the pieces “hateful”, “divisive”, and not an accurate representation of “our Northeast Tennessee spirit.”

2025

Crowe was named as one of the Top 5 Senate Conservatives in this year’s RINO Report.

Prioritized Individual Choice & Informed Consent In Health Decisions: 

Crowe sponsored SB1141 which would have revised water testing standards for fluoride and reduced the amount of allowable detectable fluoride in public water systems. Initially the legislation would have also required the complete removal of the chemical from the public water system and made adding it a prohibited action, but those provisions were stripped from the bill, leaving it a rather emaciated version of the original. Even heavily amended, the bill still failed 6-3 in the committee process with several Republicans voting against.

Crowe also voted against SB0527 which sought to limit liability for pesticide manufacturers in some cases involving consumer injury. Despite the “No” vote from Crowe, the bill still passed in the Senate, though it was deferred in the House to 2026 and ultimately taken off notice after considerable conservative pushback.  

Fought To Protect Private Property: Crowe carried SB0648 which came in response to the concerns of 48 landowners in Washington and Unicoi Counties who unexpectedly saw their names and land parcel numbers in a local newspaper citing the use of expedited eminent domain against their property. The bill would have precluded the state government from using eminent domain to acquire real property in any expedited manner but never gained any momentum in either chamber.

Protected Tennesseans’ Constitutional Rights: Crowe voted in favor of SB0027 which limited the governor’s emergency powers by prohibiting them from suspending any part of the Tennessee Constitution in the issuance of an emergency order, proclamation, or rule. Though the bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support, Gov. Lee refused to sign it, allowing it to pass into law without his endorsement.

Voted To Allow Disenrollment Of Illegal Alien Students: One of the most contentious pieces of the session, SB0836 authorized LEAs and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students illegally present in the U.S. After passing in the Senate in a narrow vote, with Republicans divided on the issue, the bill stalled in the House at the end of session.

Protected The Privacy, Safety, & Dignity Of Children: SB0472 requires elementary, middle, secondary, private, and postsecondary schools, and higher education institutions to segregate restrooms, changing areas, and showers according to “immutable biological sex” if minors are allowed to participate in residential educational programs or if they have access to residential facilities. Crowe’s “Yes” vote helped ensure boys and girls are not forced to share private facilities with members of the opposite sex.

Legislative Blunders

Helped Establish A Legal “Right” To Reproductive Technologies: The controversial “Fertility and Contraceptive Protection Act” was framed as a reproductive healthcare protection measure but was deemed dangerous by conservatives and pro-life advocacy groups for its disregard of both the state and scientific definitions of “unborn child”. SB0449 essentially codified the ability to indiscriminately create and discard human embryos through fertility treatments and technologies like IVF and was supported by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Several conservative lawmakers asked Gov. Lee to veto the legislation to no avail.

Voted To Strip Local GOPs Of Right To Caucus: Becoming a very contentious bill in 2025, SB0799 stripped local political parties of their ability to hold caucuses or conventions and mandated state-run primary elections when selecting their partisan candidates. The legislation was decried by local GOPs, grassroots organizations, voters, and even the Tennessee GOP State Executive Committee which called the measure a “betrayal of trust”. 

Helped Redefine Abortion Exceptions: Crowe voted “Yes” on SB1004 which undermined Tennessee’s protections for the unborn by introducing ambiguous language into the legal framework governing abortion exceptions. The bill redefined the term “inevitable abortion” as a condition under which abortion can be considered legally permissible, introducing subjective standards that created broad interpretive loopholes in a law which previously held clear, strong protections.

2026

Sponsored Legislation To Keep Children Healthy: Crowe carried SB2423 which eliminates artificial food dyes from food or beverage items in public schools. The bill expands on a bill last year prohibiting public schools from selling or serving any food or beverage items containing Red 40 dye in meals or snacks served as part of the school’s nutrition program to include additional artificial petroleum-based food dyes. 

Voted For Legislation Expanding Parental Access To Children’s Medical Records: With the passage of SB0259 parents will be provided with greater transparency regarding their children’s medical treatments. The bill closes a legal loophole and ensures a parent or legal guardian can access their child’s health and treatment records including records regarding mental health, medical treatments, rehabilitation, prescription records, or for treatments provided to the child without parental consent.

Supported Homeschool Freedoms: SB2636 gives homeschool families additional options for mandated standardized testing and removes a part of Tennessee code which has never been used regarding remediation for homeschool students based on low testing scores that could have potentially forced homeschoolers back into public schools. Crowe’s “Yes” vote helped put these educational freedoms into law.

Voted To Require Verification Of Legal Work Authorization: SB0990 lowers from six to one the number of employees a business must have to be considered a private employer for the purposes of the Tennessee Lawful Employment Act, thereby ensuring all Tennessee employers will be required to verify the legal status of employees and prevent illegal aliens from entering the workforce. While several Republicans voted against the bill, Crowe’s “Yes” helped the legislation reach the required threshold for passage.

Tried To Preserve Citizens’ Right To Sue The State: This legislation became one of the most controversial pieces of 2026 as opponents of SB1958 contended it strips an individual’s right to challenge constitutionally questionably laws unless they are first harmed by it. Crowe voted “No” on the bill, attempting to preserve the ability of citizens to keep their government accountable, but the bill became Tennessee law.

According to the Tennessee Legislative Report Card, Sen. Crowe has a decent 85 vote score, overall lifetime score of 82, and a B for leadership grade. Approximately 77.5% of his campaign contributions since 2006 have come from PACs & special interest groups. For more details, read the full report HERE.

Crowe’s primary opponent is Dan Pohlgeers, a small business owner, 36-year healthcare professional, community advocate, and “lifelong conservative running to bring real change to a seat that has been held by the same politician for nearly four decades.” 

“The families of Upper East Tennessee deserve honest representation on the issues that matter most: healthcare they can afford and trust, schools that are accountable to parents, farmland worth protecting, borders that are secure, and a senator with no conflicts of interest and nothing to hide. Let’s get to work!” his website reads.

To learn more, visit his campaign site: https://dan4tnsenate.com/.

Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.