Image Credit: TN General Assembly & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) and Representative Lee Reeves (R-Franklin-District 65) are sponsoring an amendment to legislation that will effectively terminate autonomy by county political parties to conduct free and fair elections for their party officers.
SB0799/HB0855 alone seems innocuous, but an amendment NOT PUBLICLY LISTED, as it is being run as a caption bill, would forbid county parties from holding conventions to select Republican nominees and would instead require officer elections via regular primary elections.
The amendment’s text states, “Statewide political parties shall nominate their candidates in primary elections for all offices for which partisan elections are held at the regular August or regular November election.”
This would invalidate political parties using county conventions to elect their officers and force those elections under control of the state by mandating them as part of regularly scheduled primary elections.
If this amendment passes with SB0799, the General Assembly will, in effect, seize control of county party elections, including which candidates may be permitted to run as the state parties control which primary candidates are allowed on the ballot under the existing rules for primary elections.
The legislation is scheduled to be heard in the Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday, 4/1 while HB0855 will be in the House State & Local Government Committee on Wednesday, 4/2.
Please use the information below AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to contact the members of these committees:
Sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov, sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov, sen.tom.hatcher@capitol.tn.gov, sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov, sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov, sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov, sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov, sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov, sen.jeff.yarbro@capitol.tn.gov
Rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov, rep.rush.bricken@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jeff.burkhart@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ed.butler@capitol.tn.gov, rep.michele.carringer@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jesse.chism@capitol.tn.gov, rep.vincent.dixie@capitol.tn.gov, rep.rick.eldridge@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dan.howell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.tom.leatherwood@capitol.tn.gov, rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov, rep.greg.martin@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jake.mccalmon@capitol.tn.gov, rep.larry.miller@capitol.tn.gov, rep.bo.mitchell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov, rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov, rep.iris.rudder@capitol.tn.gov, rep.gabby.salinas@capitol.tn.gov, rep.todd.warner@capitol.tn.gov
2 Responses
The Jack and Kojak bill appears to be politically motived and designed to circumvent the results of a recent Williamson County Republican Party leadership election. Johnson and Reeves didn’t like the result, so this is Plan B. Their bill is an embarrassment to our state and certainly not in the best interests of Tennesseans.
Thanx! Emailed Committees, “NO!!
SB0799/HB0855 alone seems innocuous, but an amendment NOT PUBLICLY LISTED, as it is being run as a caption bill, would forbid county parties from holding conventions to select Republican nominees and would instead require officer elections via regular primary elections.
The amendment’s text states, “Statewide political parties shall nominate their candidates in primary elections for all offices for which partisan elections are held at the regular August or regular November election.”
This would invalidate political parties using county conventions to elect their officers and force those elections under control of the state by mandating them as part of regularly scheduled primary elections.
If this amendment passes with SB0799, the General Assembly will, in effect, seize control of county party elections, including which candidates may be permitted to run as the state parties control which primary candidates are allowed on the ballot under the existing rules for primary elections.”, posted to X with, “Tennesseans! Y’all help!! Tell them NO!!”