Image Credit: Brian Stansberry / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal]-
In August 2025, Danielle Goodrich, Chair of the Washington County Republican Party, organized and hosted an event called “God, Guns, and Guts.” Nobody could ever argue that Goodrich lacks a healthy dose of guts. This gutsy approach is reflected in four resolutions recently made by the Washington County Republican Executive Committee.
The resolutions made under the leadership of Goodrich required guts as well. One of the resolutions is asking the legislature to require political party registration as a condition of voting in primary elections, a requirement long favored by conservatives.
For years, Democrats have been voting in Republican Primary Elections despite laws to the contrary. Tennessee has set itself up with a set of election laws that are virtually unenforceable. The Washington County CEC has set out to change that with a resolution that reads in part,
“Tennessee’s current open primary system allows individuals who are not registered Republicans to participate in Republican primaries, compromising the integrity of the nomination process and the ability of Republican voters to select their own candidates; and”
“[E]stablishing party registration in Tennessee would strengthen the integrity of Republican primaries, preserve voter confidence, and ensure that those representing the Republican Party are chosen solely by Republican voters”
Full text of the Primary Election Resolution is linked here.
Tackling the issue of constitutional carry, the CEC also called for the full and complete repeal of the Tennessee code section that makes it unlawful to carry a weapon “with the intent to go armed.” This code section was placed on the books during the post-Civil War period and criminalizes the carrying of a gun or other weapon with no exceptions for constitutional principles, court decisions, carry permits, or firearm carry on one’s own private property.
The” Intent to Go Armed” Washington County Republican CEC Resolution states in part,
1. Supports the full implementation of constitutional carry as established in Tennessee law;
2. Urges the Tennessee General Assembly to repeal Tennessee Code Annotated § 39 17-1307(a)(1) and eliminate the criminalization of the lawful intent to carry arms;
3. Affirms the right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution;
4. Recognizes the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution (Article VI, Clause 2), which establishes federal law as the supreme law of the land and prohibits state laws that infringe upon constitutional rights;
5. Believes that Tennessee citizens deserve clarity, liberty, and limited government— and that all laws restricting lawful carry should be repealed to preserve those values.
A full copy of the Intent To Go Armed Resolution is linked here.
For years, many city elections in Tennessee were conducted without voters knowing the party affiliation of candidates. That is because there is no requirement that a candidate register, campaign, or that their party affiliation be listed on the ballot. If the Washington County CEC gets their way, all of this will change in state law.
Their expansive municipal election, Party Affiliation, Resolution states in part,
[Washington County CEC] “Urges the Tennessee General Assembly to enact legislation requiring all candidates for statewide, county, and municipal elections to declare their party affiliation when qualifying for office, and recommends that ballots for all elections clearly display the declared party affiliation (or “Independent” where applicable) next to each candidate’s name to ensure transparency and voter clarity.”
To view a full copy of the Party Affiliation Resolution, a link is provided here.
Finally, the CEC addressed an issue that has been at the forefront of Tri-Cities politics for several months. A protectionist set of state laws called Certificate of Need (CON) requires new start-up medical providers to get a permission slip from the state government in order to set up shop in a particular area. The scheme is a means of protecting certain powerful special medical special interests from competition.
The legislature has danced around the reform of CON laws for several years with marginal progress toward creating a free market environment for medical care businesses. The CEC is calling on the full repeal of CON laws based in part on principles expressed in the Tennessee Constitution that forbid monopolies.
“The Washington County Republican Party Executive Committee urges the Tennessee General Assembly to repeal Certificate of Need (CON) laws to restore healthcare competition and eliminate monopolistic control in the state.”
A full copy of the CON Repeal Resolution is linked here.
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
5 Responses
Pass all the resolutions you’d like, the tepid conservative governors in the Haslam-Lee administration and the Republican leadership in the legislature couldn’t care less. If you want to close the primary you need to put an end to the Haslam-Lee administration and change the Republican leadership by electing solid conservatives.
A great place to start is next year when we have the one chance every eight years to elect a solid conservative as governor. Conservatives can only do that by unifying behind one candidate in the Republican primary next August.
We have an opportunity to break the spell of rich RINO’s running our state by standing behind a proven constitutional conservative (just look at all 3 candidates voting records……the choice is simple) and that candidate is Monty Fritts. He is the only member of the TN Assembly that scored a 99% conservative voting record not only from floor votes but also committee votes. Blackburn and Rose don’t even come close.
May God bless their efforts against lucifer’s accursed TN RINOs.
Certificate of Need sounds like/is a “good old boy” company protection scheme.
I would love to think that closed primaries would solve our cross over problem but living in a closed primary state for most of my adult life I can tell you that closed primaries do not stop cross over. Cheaters are going to find a way to cheat and they cheat just as much in closed primary states as they do in open primary states. It takes a little more effort to cross over in a closed primary state but anyone that wants to sway a primary does whatever they have to do to cheat. Our problem is not open or closed primaries. We have a problem with virtue of the American people. People who think there is nothing wrong with cheating. We have become a dishonest people that lack virtue, integrity and righteousness. And THAT is the real problem.