Boyd and Black Unleash a Flurry of Attack Ads

Randy Boyd, Diane Black

Diane Black fired the first direct shot, but the Randy Boyd campaign has responded quickly and Black has already followed up with a second attack ad that solely targets Boyd. Bill Lee has not yet aired anything but positive ads at this point in the Tennessee Governor’s GOP primary race that is quickly descending into the bloodbath between Boyd and Black that most expected. Black aired the first “comparison” campaign ad that tagged two of her primary opponents, Bill Lee and Randy Boyd, as being “two moderates.” The ad focused on Boyd, but the inclusion of Lee underlined his recent surge in the polls. But Black has followed up almost immediately with a second ad that only hits Boyd as being “anti-hunter” while touting Black’s endorsement by the NRA.  In fact, the ad is titled “Anti-hunter” to make the point clear. Black “Anti-hunter” campaign ad transcript: Where does Randy Boyd stand on hunting and guns? Randy Boyd hired his lobbyist from an anti hunting organization. Randy Boyd’s firm gave big money to the lobbying group that would make hunting illegal. The NRA called them an anti- hunting, extremist organization. But Randy Boyd called them “partner”. Read about Randy Boyd’s anti-hunting…

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Tennessee Star Poll: Boyd Leads Black by 5 in GOP Gubernatorial Primary, Lee Close Behind in Third Place

Randy Boyd, Diane Black, Bill Lee

Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd leads Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) by 5 points, 32 percent to 27 percent, among likely Republican gubernatorial primary voters in a Tennessee Star Poll released today. The battle for the Republican nomination for governor in Tennessee is now a three-way race, with Williamson County businessman Bill Lee surging into a strong third position, with 20 percent. Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) is no longer a factor in the Republican gubernatorial primary, coming in a distant fourth position with only 7 percent of the vote. Only 13 percent of poll respondents said they were undecided. The poll of 1,040 likely Tennessee Republican primary voters was conducted for The Tennessee Star by Triton Polling and Research over a four day period beginning Monday June 25 and ending Thursday June 28 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent. The Tennessee Star Poll released today indicates there has been significant movement in the race since the last Tennessee Star Poll results in December 2017. At that time Diane Black had a ten point lead over Randy Boyd, with Black receiving the support of 21 percent of likely Tennessee Republican primary voters, followed by Boyd…

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Mike Huckabee Endorses Randy Boyd For Tennessee Governor

Mike Hukabee

Conservative former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has endorsed Republican candidate Randy Boyd for governor of Tennessee. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, made the announcement in a television ad Friday, the Boyd campaign announced. “Huckabee, a notable voice for the conservative movement, is throwing his support behind Randy as a conservative businessman who is strong on key issues like illegal immigration and pro-life values,” the announcement says. “Huckabee also supports Randy’s background as a businessman looking to disrupt career politicians. The politician, minister, author and commentator says ‘Tennessee needs a conservative businessman as governor who can get things done.’” Huckabee, a one-time Fox News host, ran unsuccessfully for president twice but carried Tennessee in 2008 by wide margins, the Times Free Press said. Boyd’s campaign CEO is Chip Saltsman, a former Tennessee Republican Party chairman who served as Huckabee’s national campaign manager in the former Arkansas governor’s 2008 presidential effort. Watch the commercial:    

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GOP Gubernatorial Debate Produces Few Sparks But Several Distinctions on Policy

Bill Lee, Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell

The second in a series of three debates between the four candidates for the Republican nomination for governor broadcast across the state produced few fireworks on Wednesday night. However, it may have helped Bill Lee introduce himself and gain traction as voters begin to increase their focus on a race that thus far has appeared to be between the more heavily funded candidates, Diane Black and Randy Boyd. The one hour debate was broadcast live on stations in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville (Alabama), Chattanooga and Tri-Cities, with questions posed by Nashville’s WKRN News 2 anchor Bob Mueller, and Memphis anchors Katina Rankin and Richard Ransom of WATN Local 24. The debate opened with a question regarding illegal immigration and President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, signed just hours before the debate. Do your support President Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy? Bill Lee: “It is sad and heartbreaking to see children taken away from their parents, and I’m glad that has been changed. But we have an immigration policy that is broken because of the failure of Congress for decades to deal with this challenge.” Lee pointed out that Tennessee can make the bad situation worse by offering incentives for illegal immigrants…

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State of Tennessee Left to Protect Itself From Illegal Immigration As Corker & Alexander Say Laws Should Not Be Enforced

Bill Haslam, Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander

Tennessee’s two U.S. Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker each released a statement opposing the administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy including separating children traveling with adult illegal border crossers. The law requiring the separation of children from the adults illegally crossing the border and who are being detained, was signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order allowing illegal alien adults and any children they bring across the border, to stay together in detention pending a determination of their illegal border crossing. While Corker limited his remarks to how adults traveling with children should be dealt with when apprehended at the border, Alexander’s statement goes much further, suggesting that legislation to fix the current crisis should include some type of amnesty for illegal aliens already present in the U.S.: Illegal immigration is against the law but new enforcement policies have resulted in hundreds of children being separated from their parents. The administration should end that new policy immediately while Congress works with the president on a bipartisan immigration solution that secures the border, provides a status for those already here and prevents a humanitarian crisis at the border. Both Alexander and Corker voted to…

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Ireland ‘Approved Grant Assistance’ to Randy Boyd’s Radio Systems Corporation

Randy Boyd

When Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s Knoxville based company, Radio Systems Corporation, announced in 2012 that it would be locating its European headquarters in Dundalk, Ireland, press reports at the time indicated that the government of Ireland would be providing financial incentives to the company as part of the deal. In a September 25, 2012 press release, Boyd’s company acknowledged and expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the government of Ireland: Expanding global pet product expert and manufacturer Radio Systems Corporation, has today announced the opening of a new European head office in Dundalk, Ireland following comprehensive market research and evaluation. The opening opening of the new head office will result in the creation of 56 new jobs over the next three years. The investment is supported by the Irish Government with the aid of IDA Ireland. From January 1, 2013 Radio Systems PetSafe Europe Ltd will be fully operational and will base its European multilingual customer services centre, finance, order management, supply chain and human resources departments in Dundalk. Of the 56 jobs being created over the next three years 25 will be hired by the end of December. “As our business continues to grow internationally, Radio Systems Corporation plans to…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Agrees With Democrats Dean and Fitzhugh: Removal of Confederate Statues by City of Memphis Was Legal

Randy Boyd, Beth harwell, Karl Dean, Craig Fitzhugh

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd declared on Thursday that the removal of two Confederate statues by the City of Memphis in December using a questionable ruse to sidestep state law was legal, agreeing on that issue with Democratic gubernatorial candidates Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh. Boyd’s remarks came at a forum held in Memphis that was co-hosted by the Tennessee Bar Association, The Tennessee Judicial Council, and The Commercial Appeal. “Our history is our history, and we need to preserve it,” Boyd said. But Boyd asserted that the City of Memphis did not break the law when they removed a statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the middle-of-the-night last December, referring to the legal loophole used by the Memphis City Council to remove statues from two city parks. “Memphis followed the law. So they didn’t break the law. So I don’t think it’s now, in retrospect, saying, they didn’t do anything that they weren’t allowed to do,” Boyd said. You can hear Boyd say that Memphis did not break the law here at the 24:55 mark of this video: You can hear those same remarks by Boyd in this audio version of the conversation, at the 5:14 mark.…

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Off the Record: Switch-Hitter Boyd Donors Now Raising Money For Liberal Democrat Phil Bredesen

Randy Boyd, Phil Bredesen

“Switch-hitters” are the baseball players who bat both right-handed and left-handed. Political switch-hitters who want liberal representation in the U.S. Senate and a moderate in the governor’s office are rooting for the Boyd-Bredesen team – and they are willing to put their big bucks behind these guys and bring along their moneyed friends. (Anyone willing to bet whether we see Jim Haslam and others with the last name Haslam show up on a Bredesen campaign finance disclosure report?) Boyd’s big dollar donors Sharon Pryse, Raja and Michelle Jubran, and Jim Clayton are co-hosting a fundraiser for Phil Bredesen just like the super-wealthy “Republican” donor Conway-Welch in Nashville whose fundraiser for Bredesen was preceded by the one in Nashville headlined by former Vice-President Joe Biden. Boyd’s Knoxville Cabal needs him to go to his warehouse and get them those special flea collars. And there is plenty of money in them thar hills – Sharon Pryse, Raja Jubran and his wife coughed up $8,000 dineros each to hand over to La Raza Randy. Jim Clayton was only able to come up with a measly $5,000. Pryse, Raja Jubran, and Clayton are members of Boyd’s business coalition but it’s even cozier than that.  Boyd served…

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Off the Record: Randy Boyd’s Globalist Jobs Philosophy: Export Manufacturing – Import Refugees and Cheap Labor

Randy Boyd

One of Randy Boyd’s latest radio ads has him recounting all the lessons he learned about hard work when he started working at a very young age in his father’s factory for $1.00 per hour and then how he later paid his way through college working tirelessly at an injection molding machine. The details of him operating the heavy factory machinery while studying his college textbooks and completing homework was recounted in the same article in which Boyd declared himself to be a political MODERATE. Child labor laws? OSHA? No matter, it made Randy Boyd the worker he is today and if it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for anyone working in a factory setting. You know, like the assembly-line workers in those Chinese factories where some of Boyd’s products are being manufactured. Wonder if he ever peeks under the covers there? One would hope so especially after the not-so-good exposure by the New York-based China Labor Watch just a few years ago about the “deplorable working conditions” in ten Chinese factories where Apple high tech products were being made. But Boyd the mega-millionaire knows that the bottom line comes first. Unlike his father’s Tennessee factory whose products were…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd’s Company Chose China Instead of Tennessee as Location for Manufacturing

Randy Boyd

One aspect of his business career that GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd has not highlighted in his campaign commercials is this: Products that have helped make Boyd’s company Radio Systems Corporation highly profitable are manufactured in China. Boyd still runs the company as CEO. The company, “the world’s leading dog and cat products supplier” including such brands as PetSafe and Invisible Fence, began manufacturing its products in China in 1993, two years after he launched his business, claiming that it was “a move that improved our product quality, prices, and reliability.” Three years later his company reported $24 million in sales. According to the offering memorandum associated with the company’s planned 2001 initial public offering, an offering that was subsequently withdrawn, “the  Company currently outsources virtually all of its manufacturing and assembly activities.” For the year ended December 31, 1997, approximately 80% of the Company’s products, including its standard Radio Fence pet containment products, were manufactured or assembled in China by two manufacturers. Other of the Company’s products are manufactured in Israel and France, and certain of the components of the Company’s Radio Fence products are manufactured in Taiwan. The microchips used in the Company’s products are manufactured by a supplier in…

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Off the Record: Tyson Foods Recycles a Smidge of Tennessee Taxpayer Money as Payback to Gibson County

OFF THE RECORD

Tyson CEO and President Tom Hayes was the BMOC (big man on campus) at the Humboldt plant ground-breaking on Wednesday when he promised a $500,000 kickback grant to Gibson County. But it’s not really a no-strings unconditional gift, nor is it really money from Tyson Foods’ pocket, is it Tom? First, the ever paternalistic Tyson leadership that has come to rescue Welcoming Witherspoon – who is now out of favor with his Democrat party – has not agreed to just let Gibson Countians decide on their own how to spend their new found wealth. Nooooo.  A steering committee “of community leaders and Tyson Foodsteam members” will decide how to spend the money. Any chance the “community leaders” will be same ones that worked the deal that could possibly “fowl” some of the already threatened nearby waterways? The same leaders like Welcoming Witherspoon who has said that, like Randy Boyd, he welcomes Muslims and immigrants to come work in Gibson County: Randy, like me, isn’t afraid of a Muslim coming to the county and maybe seeking a job, or a legal immigrant coming to the county. He’s not afraid of that; neither am I. If somebody wants to come here legally, and seek employment and…

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Tyson Foods Tied to Same Big-Business-Cheap-Labor Lobby Favored by Boyd, Dean, and Bredesen

Boyd Dean and Bredesen

The Partnership for a New American Economy (renamed to New American Economy (NAE)), views giant commercial operations like Tyson Foods as connective tissue between NAE’s drive to increase cheap labor pools through immigration and the revival of economically depressed rural communities: Sturms found that when towns embraced immigrants, dying communities were brought back to life, the wheels of commerce began to turn again, and everybody felt the rewards. This is true for small towns across the state, including Columbus Junction, Storm Lake, Denison and West Liberty, the first Iowa town with a majority-Latino population. NAE also justifies its push for increased legal and illegal immigration in part by featuring stories about immigrants like the Karen Burmese working in chicken processing plants and insisting that they are doing the jobs that Americans won’t do. Burmese immigrants generally arrive in the U.S. through the refugee resettlement program which the NAE supports along with amnesty for illegal aliens as part of its 15 key economic issues. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean, like his Republican counterpart Randy Boyd, is also a named member of the big-business-cheap-labor Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) lobby. Shortly after the announcement was made by Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon that Tyson Foods…

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Humboldt’s Tyson Plant Breaks Ground Without Permits From State Dept. of Environment & Conservation

Tyson meat processing

Despite lacking mandatory permits from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC), Tyson Foods went ahead and broke ground yesterday for its new chicken processing plant in Humboldt. After reviewing Tyson’s application for a permit to discharge storm water from the Humboldt plant construction site, a letter dated May 18, 2018, from the TDEC Division of Water Resources informed Tyson that the company’s “Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) “was deficient so no permit could be issued. TDEC’s letter cautioned Tyson’s Senior Project Engineer Larry Jackson, that “[n]o discharges of stormwater associated with construction activity are authorized by the general permit until the completed NOI [Notice of Intent] is submitted and Notice of Coverage issued by the division.” The NOI submitted by Tyson Farms, Inc., as referenced in the May 18 TDEC letter was “submitted to obtain coverage under a General National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Construction Activity.” Jackson was also directed to review “the enclosed checklist for deficiencies in the SWPPP that must be addressed before permit coverage can be issued.” You can read the May 18, 2018 letter from the TDEC to Tyson’s Jackson here: [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/DWR-TNR122070-Notice-of-Deficiency-18-MAY-18-2366.pdf” title=”DWR-TNR122070-Notice of Deficiency-18-MAY-18-2366″]  …

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Off the Record: A Number One ‘Hit’ About La Raza Randy

  First it was “The Ballad of La Raza Randy,” a lyrical stroll through Boyd’s “conexion” to the leadership of the National Council of La Raza which earned him his nickname not long after he decided he wanted to “spend whatever it takes” to get elected. Hint – it had something to do with his quarter of a million dollar donation to the Nashville organization whose founder and director has been the chairman of the board of the National Council of La Raza when Boyd decided to turn on the greenies – that is, the paper stuff, not the dog breath freshener. Granted, he’s tied to plenty establishment type issues and groups like Common Core, Jeb! and the big-business-cheap-labor lobbyists. But the alliteration with La Raza? Just sirens out to creative conservatives in Tennessee to bring it on! And sure enough, the newest, catchiest tribute to La Raza Randy, was recently posted on YouTube. Boyd’s been trying to convince voters that he actually really does support Trump. He’s even running ads where he says, with a straight face, that he and President Trump “have a lot in common.” Pay close attention when you get to minute 1:26 – it could be…

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In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens: Randy Boyd Says He’s Against It, But He’s Likely to Let it Become Law if Legislature Passes

Randy Boyd

The in-state tuition for illegal aliens issue is expected to be put on the legislative calendar in 2019. Its importance cannot be understated in light of the opening it creates to award additional state and local public benefits to illegal aliens in Tennessee. The four candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination–Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), Williamson County businessman Bill Lee, and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville)–are notably different in their approach to this issue. During an April meet and greet in Memphis, Randy Boyd repeated his opposition to in-state tuition for illegal aliens – “I’m against in-state tuition for illegals.” Boyd’s claim doesn’t necessarily mean that as governor Boyd would stop an in-state tuition bill passed by the General Assembly from becoming law. Both Diane Black and Bill Lee have affirmatively stated they would veto an in-state tuition bill. Neither the Harwell campaign nor the Boyd campaign responded to The Tennessee Star’s question during the legislative session about the in-state tuition bill that was making its way through the committee process. Harwell did not cast a vote on the 2015 in-state tuition bill since she left the House floor almost immediately before the bill was brought up…

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Randy Boyd Defends Joining the College Promise Advisory Board

During a campaign stop in Memphis on April 25th, Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd defended voluntarily joining the College Promise Advisory Board, which was tied at the time of his joining to then-President Obama. When he’s asked the question about his participation with this board, he insists that “President Obama didn’t appoint me to anything” and “we’re [the Board] not promoting tuition for illegals.” Two things are not true about that. First of all, President Obama didn’t appoint me to anything I created the Tennessee Promise and then there’s a group of other people who said you know other states would like to do this too. Would you be willing to join us? It’s a non-profit organization. Not anything President Obama has anything to do with. They asked if I would join the board and let other states know about our program. And frankly, I’m proud of Tennessee and I want us to be first but I don’t mind sharing with Indiana. I’ve met with people in Indiana, in Oregon, with people in multiple states that are also interested in doing what we’ve done and want to do the same thing in their states. But it’s a non-profit and President Obama…

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OFF THE RECORD: Boyd Trying to Change His ‘Never-Trump’ History During the Campaign Cycle?

It wasn’t very long after Randy Boyd announced that he’d spend however much of his mega-millions to buy get himself elected as governor, that The Tennessee Star revealed that he was a named member of the globalist-open-borders big-business-cheap-labor lobby called the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE). Boyd is listed as the CEO of his company Radio Systems, Corp. right there, second page, last name on the first column. Given the PNAE’s commitment to amnesty for illegals, continued and increased refugee resettlement and pushing in-state college tuition for illegal alien students, membership in the PNAE hasn’t helped Boyd’s favorability ratings (no matter how much money he spends on TV ads), among conservative voters. Statute-violating Democrat cross-over voters maybe, but not conservatives. After Boyd threw his name and support to PNAE, the organization teamed up with former TIRRC director David Lubell who now runs Welcoming America (started with a little Soros seed money), in a grant giveaway program called Gateways for Growth, designed to get more immigrants and refugees into embedded into U.S. towns. It just so happens that half of the G4G grant recipients operate as sanctuary cities listed in Openthebooks.com’s report Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities – including Nashville. So after a while, PNAE shortened its…

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Boyd Says He’s Against Sanctuary Cities But Is Still Working With Conexion Americas to Help Illegal Aliens

Randy Boyd

Mega millionaire Randy Boyd says that how he spends his millions, including the $250,000 donation to Conexion Americas or his interlocking education initiative that demands “education equity” for illegal alien students, “has nothing to do with immigration or in-state tuition,” issues that have fueled frustration with the growing illegal alien population in Tennessee. After Governor Haslam announced that he would allow the new anti-sanctuary bill to become law without his signature, Renata Soto, co-founder and director of Conexion Americas, posted a strongly worded rebuke of the Governor and his decision: Governor, by letting this un-American racial profiling law go into effect, you have put a target on the back of thousands of Tennesseans, rejected the values upon which our nation was founded, and set our state backwards. Soto’s statement also confirmed that there are “thousands” of illegal aliens in Tennessee and the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), a globalist big business lobby confirms that they are working in the state. With Soto’s help and Boyd’s money, those numbers are likely to increase. When Governor Haslam campaigned in 2009, he claimed he’d be tough on illegal immigration and yet, over the course of his two terms, estimates from the Federation for American Immigration…

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Haslam Passes Sanctuary City Bill Without Signing; Boyd, Who Claims He’s Against Sanctuary Cities, Wouldn’t Ask Him to Sign

Randy Boyd and Bill Haslam

Governor Haslam announced today that instead of signing or vetoing the anti-sanctuary city bill he will allow it to become law without his signature: I could sign it but that would mean that I agree that we have an issue around sanctuary cities. In that regard, intentionally or not, the Governor has acknowledged last year’s attempt by the Metro Nashville Council to institutionalize its sanctuary city status. An ordinance proposed last year by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge (who is married to TIRRC’s co-director), was headed to a final vote before being withdrawn due to pressure from state legislators and the public. The bill, drafted with TIRRC’s assistance, would have made Nashville the most liberal non-deportation zone in the U.S., magnetizing Davidson County for criminal illegal aliens. Specifically, the Mendes/Sledge proposal would have prohibited Metro Nashville employees from inquiring into anyone’s immigration status. Had it passed, the bill would have effectively enabled illegal aliens to access public benefits they would otherwise be barred from using. Additionally, the ordinance would not have violated the state’s 2009 anti-santuary city law, but would violate the new anti-sanctuary city law which expands the definition of what constitutes a sanctuary city policy: “Sanctuary policy” means…

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Potential Haslam Veto of Sanctuary Bill Hurts Boyd But ‘Could Ignite’ Harwell’s Campaign

Randy Boyd and Bill Haslam

Open borders and leftist groups are demanding Governor Haslam veto the sanctuary city bill. Proponents of the bill who don’t want criminal illegal aliens released into their communities, want the bill to become law – with or without the Governor’s signature. Putting HB2315 into state law helps Haslam make good on his own campaign promises. As to a potential Haslam veto, Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill says it hurts Boyd but could be just the antidote for Harwell’s anemic campaign: A veto of the anti-sanctuary city bill by Governor Haslam could create a backlash against Randy Boyd due to his close political and personal relationship with him. But the downside to Boyd would be small in comparison to the benefit to Speaker Beth Harwell who could immediately lead a highly visible and popular legislative effort to overturn the veto which would almost certainly be successful. A veto would be the best campaign contribution that Haslam could give her, and it could ignite her struggling campaign. If Governor Haslam doesn’t veto or sign the bill by Tuesday, May 22nd, it will become law without his signature.  

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Off the Record: State Rep. Ron Gant – Really? All You Got Was a Plane Ride?

Freshman State Rep. Ron Gant (R-Rossville), who ran as a conservative, took a plane ride with Bill, and less than two weeks later, endorses self-described political moderate and never-Trumper Randy Boyd! Hey Ron – did you -um- forget that Fayette County elected Trump by over 71% of the vote and McNairy by 80+%? Do you have any idea what Randy meant when he said: The idea of putting my name on anything [for Trump] is anathema to me. Hey Ron – did you forget that Randy has tied himself to the guy who had to drop out of the race because even with all his money and political connections, he was a BIG flop? Yup, we’re talking about Jeb! – the guy Randy went to bat for as a delegate, and whose man-crush never waned, inviting Jeb! to fundraise for him in a state that LOVED Trump in the primary and in the general. Hey Ron – ever hear of “Tennessee Thrives” and see what they’re all about? Did Bill give you THE “talk”? You know the one where he tells you that Randy’s a really good guy who loves dogs and running and you know, “La Raza” doesn’t really…

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Harwell, Like Boyd, Supported Elevating Political Influence of Current Chairman of National Council of La Raza

Beth Harwell, Renata Soto, Randy Boyd

After Renata Soto, founder and director of Nashville-based Conexion Americas became a leader in the National Council of La Raza, both GOP gubernatorial candidates Beth Harwell and Randy Boyd, helped elevate her influence in political circles. The Tennessee Judicial Council first appointed Soto to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) in 2009 so she could help decide which appellate judges should be “retained” or “replaced.” Soto was among the five JPEC members appointed by the Judicial Council and was appointed to a six-year term. The new law also authorized the Speakers of the House and the Senate to make the remaining appointments. Harwell became Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives in January 2011. An article written in 2015 by Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade, now retired, noted that in 2013, “bills were introduced to discharge all members of the Commission—primarily designed to remove Kent Williams’ appointee and that of the Judicial Council. While passing in the Senate, the bills failed to pass in the House. Ultimately, the JPEC ‘sunsetted’ in 2014.” Speaker Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey were sued by John Jay Hooker alleging that their 2014 JPEC appointments violated the race and gender apportionments required by Tennessee law, and…

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Randy Boyd’s Quarter-Million Dollar Beneficiary Wants Criminal Illegal Aliens to Stay in Tennessee

Randy and Mrs Bord, Gov Haslam, Renata Soto

Nashville-based National Council of La Raza affiliate partner, Conexion Americas, the beneficiary of a $250,000 donation from Randy Boyd and his wife Jenny, wants Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill so that criminal illegal aliens can return to Tennessee communities instead of being handed off to federal immigration authorities. The founder and director of Boyd’s quarter-million dollar beneficiary, has put out a call to ask the Governor to veto the legislation. In 2015, the year before Boyd made his $250,000 donation, Renata Soto, co- founder and executive director of Conexion Americas, who had served for three years as vice-president of the National Council of La Raza Board, was elected to president of La Raza’s board, a position she still occupies. In July 2017, the George Soros-funded National Council of LaRaza changed its name to UnidosUS. Boyd’s support for Soto’s organization which serves legal immigrants and illegal aliens and Soto’s leadership with La Raza, has earned Boyd the nickname “La Raza Randy.” During an early radio interview, Boyd inferred that he is okay with illegal aliens using the Conexion Americas culinary incubator renamed “Conexion Americas Mesa Komal Kitchen & The Randy and Jenny Boyd Culinary Incubator” after his donation, to…

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Spokesman Says Randy Boyd ‘Fully Expects the Anti-Sanctuary City Legislation to Become Law’

A spokesman for the Randy Boyd campaign told The Tennessee Star on Friday afternoon that Boyd “fully expects the anti-sanctuary city legislation passed this session to become law, and as Governor he will work to enforce that law.” Here is the full statement provided to The Star by Chip Saltsman, spokesman for the Randy Boyd campaign: Randy Boyd has made it clear and will continue to make it clear that he is absolutely opposed to cities or counties in Tennessee becoming sanctuaries for illegal aliens. He fully expects the anti-sanctuary city legislation passed by the legislature this session to become law, and as Governor he will work to enforce that law. As The Tennessee Star reported earlier on Friday, “The anti-sanctuary city legislation sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin) and passed overwhelmingly by the Tennessee General Assembly has been signed by Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and on Thursday was formally transmitted to the office of Gov. Haslam,” adding: The governor arrived back in Nashville this morning from an overseas trip, so the ten day clock in which he must either veto the bill–testing…

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Randy Boyd Is Silent As Far Left and Big Business Interests Push Gov. Haslam to Veto Anti-Sanctuary City Bill

Randy Boyd and Bill Haslam

The anti-sanctuary city legislation sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin) and passed overwhelmingly by the Tennessee General Assembly has been signed by Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and on Thursday was formally transmitted to the office of Gov. Haslam. The governor arrived back in Nashville this morning from an overseas trip, so the ten day clock in which he must either veto the bill–testing Speaker Harwell’s resolve to call a special session of the General Assembly to override the veto–sign it, or allow it to become law by returning it to the General Assembly unsigned, has begun ticking. He also has the option of returning it unsigned before the ten days expire and allow it to become law. Gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd, a member of Haslam’s administration until he resigned to run for governor, is the only one of four candidates for the GOP nomination who has not yet taken a position on whether Gov. Haslam should sign the bill. This silence is in stark contrast to his recent television advertisements, in which he has portrayed himself as a strong opponent of illegal immigration…

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Tennessee Does Have Sanctuary Cities and Needs the New Law to Stop Them, FAIR Says

Knoxville Memphis Nashville

A new report issued by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), documents that Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville have been able to effectively operate as sanctuary cities by putting in place practices that skirt Tennessee’s 2009 law because it only prohibits written policies or ordinances. Comments made by Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley during the May 7th Commission meeting suggested that Shelby County was operating as a sanctuary city. FAIR’s report identifies 564 jurisdictions that qualify for sanctuary status because in one way or another they have taken steps to “protect illegal aliens or obstruct efforts by the federal government to enforce immigration laws.” Dan Stein, President of FAIR credits “radical groups, posing as ‘immigrants’ rights’ organizations” for pushing policies that put protecting illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens and legal immigrants: ‘There is no rational justification for protecting deportable criminals. Yet, under pressure from radical groups, posing as ‘immigrants’ rights’ organizations, 564 jurisdictions have decided that protecting foreign criminals is more important than the safety of their local communities,’ charged Dan Stein, president of FAIR. ‘Countless Americans have been needlessly victimized, and some have lost their lives, because local sanctuary policies prevented the perpetrators from being identified as deportable aliens, or prevented…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Boyd and Lee Tied to Organizations That Say Let Illegal Immigrants Stay

Boyd and Lee

Opponents of  sanctuary city policies understand that these measures which shield criminal illegal aliens increase the risks to public safety. All GOP gubernatorial candidates eventually issued statements opposing sanctuary city policies. What is not addressed, however, in the debate over sanctuary city policies, is the negative impact from illegal immigration on the wages of American workers. Ironically, the two GOP gubernatorial candidates that have highlighted their business successes in their campaigns, are each tied to an organization that promotes the alleged economic benefits from illegal immigration for Tennessee. Randy Boyd is a named member of the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), a coalition led by business leaders and chambers of commerce which formed to convince the public and policymakers that comprehensive immigration reform like the 2013 “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill would help grow the economy and create jobs for Americans. Included in PNAE’s “15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America” are: Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants which PNAE says pay taxes and do the jobs American citizens won’t do, and despite being in the country illegally, “even start their own businesses.” In a 2014 Wall Street Journal oped, PNAE co-founder Rupert Murdoch said that illegal immigrants…

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Education Policy Director From La Raza Affiliate Conexion Americas Running for Nashville School Board

Gini Pupo-Walker, senior director of education policy and strategic growth for Conexion Americas, an affiliate of UnidosUS (formerly known as the National Council of La Raza), is on the August 4th ballot to represent District 8 on the Nashville School Board. Pupo-Walker’s campaign biography emphasizes her commitment to Latino and immigrant families and students, including starting the Metro Nashville school district’s first Spanish Heritage classes while she was teaching Spanish at John Overton High School. When Metro Nashville Public Schools announced that Arabic was being added as a foreign language in several schools, it was explained that foreign language heritage classes are “for native speakers to deepen their knowledge of the language and learn to read and write in” their native language. Pupo-Walker’s former school now employs translators and interpreters as part of its staff, and a student enrollment estimated to be 66% minority enrollment 29% of which are listed as Hispanic. Forty-nine percent of the student body tested either below basic or basic in English proficiency. Before joining the staff at Conexion Americas, Pupo-Walker served on the organization’s board whose founder and director Renata Soto, has a long-standing relationship with UnidosUS. Not only is Soto’s Nashville organization a named affiliate of…

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Gibson County Democrat Party Saves Turncoat Mayor From Potential Violation of State Voting Law

Last week The Tennessee Star reported that the Williamson County Election Commission has referred materials related to an investigation into a report that seemed to show at least two Democrats – both of whom are currently running for elected office – voted in the Republican primary to the District Attorney for further investigation and possible prosecution. Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon, twice elected as a Democrat on the party’s ticket, was included on GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s July 2017 list of county mayor endorsements. Witherspoon credited Randy Boyd for helping “Gibson County stay in the race to land the Tyson Foods plant” and suggested that his vote for Boyd was payback for that assistance saying, “[t]hat man kept his word with me and I’ll keep my word with him.” Witherspoon’s endorsement of Boyd was followed with his confirmation on Facebook that he would he would vote for Boyd in the Republican primary election because he “votes people, not parties.” Shortly thereafter, Witherspoon filed his petition to run for a third time as a Democrat candidate for mayor. Nine days after Witherspoon filed his petition to run for re-election as a Democrat, Keith Cunningham, chair of the Gibson County Democratic Party announced that he would…

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Randy Boyd Promotes Education as Pathway to Work in New Television Ad

Randy Boyd, Republican candidate for governor, has launched his fourth campaign commercial, “K to J” (Kindergarten to Job), which highlights one of the major themes of his campaign, the need to focus on education and better prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. The 30-second ad shows Boyd interacting with students from pre-school to high school as he says the most important academic test for parents and communities is whether our students are ready to go to work after graduation. “We must bring back technical education to our schools and teach job-ready skills so every Tennessean has the opportunity to get the skills they need to get a great job,” Boyd says in the ad. The statewide broadcast and cable TV buy began airing on March 29. The full ad may also be viewed here. “Randy Boyd is the only candidate who has already served our state as an education leader and special advisor, and as our state’s Economic Development commissioner.  He knows we must make sure all children have the opportunity to learn and that we must make technical education and real job skills more readily available,” said Chip Saltsman, Campaign CEO. “This ad speaks directly to Randy’s experience…

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Off the Record: Busted! ‘Fast Eddie’ Smith Files an Amendment That Could Make Boyd’s Property Redevelopment Very Profitable

State Rep. “Fast Eddie” Smith (R-Knoxville) just “filled in” his caption bill, HB2361 last week in the House Transportation Subcommittee and the “amendment that makes the bill” as they say in the legislature, looks like it’s gonna help La Raza Randy make more millions. Think of the caption bill like a shell game. It identifies the shells, but doesn’t necessarily tell you what’s really going to be underneath them. And somehow, the intended filling isn’t disclosed until very late in the legislative session, hidden from controversy until it’s simply rushed through the system. So the bill that Smith filed at the start of the legislative session was supposed to be about reporting the number of automobiles owned or leased by the state government that could use alternative fuel. By the end of the Subcommittee hearing last week, the bill was about a public-private partnership to bring light rail to the greater Knoxville area and voting power to create a Central Business Improvement District that could be based on high land value ownership. Coincidentally (or not), two years ago, while serving as Commissioner of Economic & Community Development, multimillionaire Randy Boyd bought about 7 acres of property in what Knoxvillians call the “Old…

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SuperPAC Targets Diane Black with New Ad About Her 2001 Vote to Give Tennessee Drivers’ Licenses to Illegal Aliens

A SuperPAC targeting Republican gubernatorial candidate Diane Black is back on the air with a radio ad that focuses on her vote to give Tennessee drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens when she served in the Tennessee State House of Representatives. The latest 60 second radio ad from a group called Tennessee Jobs Now PAC (TnJobsNow.com) is airing on several stations across the state and follows up on an ad campaign in January that featured a man and woman talking about “Dishonest Diane” directing state contracts to her husband’s company while flushing money down the toilet — to keep Diane Black from getting her hands on it. FULL TRANSCRIPT: MALE: Are you in this country illegally AND in need of government ID? If so, come on down to the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles.  We’re here to help.  No questions asked. If you’re an illegal immigrant who’s a drug dealer, human trafficker, even a terrorist, we’ll make sure you get ID to stay in the United States undetected. FEMALE:  What you just heard, isn’t a real ad.  But career politician Diane Black actually thought it was a good idea to give illegal immigrants drivers’ licenses in Tennessee. It wasn’t — and…

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Randy Boyd: Immigration Status Is Irrelevant to Filling Seats in Our State Colleges

Speaking to a Mount Juliet Chamber of Commerce meet and greet on Thursday morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd said that while he does not support the current in-state tuition bill under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly, immigration status of student should be irrelevant when it comes to filling seats in Tennessee’s state colleges and universities. Kicked off a full day in Wilson County at the @MJChamber. Look forward to seeing more friends and supporters! Check out our full list of stops via the @wilsonconews https://t.co/1KJt7MgOpx pic.twitter.com/bqZEkDWQpW — Randy Boyd (@randyboyd) March 15, 2018 “Do you support the legislature’s bill on in-state tuition?” one of the attendees at the meet and greet asked the Knoxville businessman. “No. I don’t think the state of Tennessee should be supplying or paying in-state benefits to people that are not in-state,” Boyd responded. The current bill proposed by State Rep. Mark White actually provides in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrant students by redefining what a public benefit is. “Having said that, though, I think, it’s the kind of nuance that, I want to bring more people from all over the country and all over the world to the state of Tennessee, and our…

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GOP State Rep. Eddie Smith Could Be Deciding Vote in House Education Committee on Bill Rewarding In-State Tuition to Illegals

State Rep. Eddie Smith (R-Knoxville), a member of the House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee and Vice-Chair of the full Committee, was nowhere to be found when subcommittee chairman State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) jumped his own bill on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants from number 35 on the agenda to the very first bill to be heard. As The Tennessee Star reported earlier, White’s bill, HB2429, was passed on a voice vote without any discussion other than a strongly worded statement of opposition from State Rep. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro)  (no relation to Mark White). It will go next to the full Education Committee although it has not been put on the calendar yet. The Senate companion bill, however, is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, March 21st. Smith joined the subcommittee after White’s bill was passed. As to prior in-state tuition bills, Smith’s voting record is more transparent with the exception of the subcommittee votes where bills are passed by voice vote even though legislators have the option to request being recorded specifically as a “no” vote. With regard to Tuesday’s vote, the only recorded “no” vote was from Rep. Dawn White. The first year Eddie Smith served in the Tennessee General Assembly…

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Boyd Still Retains Appointment to Obama-Created Board Helping Illegal Immigrants Get Free College Education

GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd says he opposes giving illegal immigrants access to the in-state four-year college tuition rate, but is still listed as serving on Obama’s College Promise Campaign board which is working to make state community college scholarships like the Tennessee Promise, available to illegal immigrant students. Almost one year to the date after Obama talked amnesty for illegal immigrants in a Nashville speech, he returned to Tennessee, floated the idea of a national free community college program and shortly thereafter, announced appointments to his newly created College Promise Advisory Board. Randy Boyd who was the ECD Commissioner at the time, was appointed to the board Obama launched in 2015. Obama’s College Promise board is led by the president of the leftist Joyce Foundation and honorary chair Dr. Jill Biden, wife of former Vice-President Joe Biden. It’s website does not hide the College Promise campaign’s intention to include illegal immigrants in the group of students who can access the free education dollars: Who will your Promise program serve? Promise programs use specific eligibility and persistence criteria to determine which students the program will serve and benchmarks for continuation in the program. Some common criteria include: … Citizenship: These programs take into…

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Off the Record: In-State Tuition Bill for Illegal Immigrants Must Be in Trouble – Haslam’s Former Chief of Staff to the Rescue?

Remember the first time two Republican legislators filed a bill to give illegal immigrants taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition and when it didn’t pass, House member Richard Floyd started crying? Remember the second time two Republican legislators filed a bill to give illegal immigrants taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition? And Governor Haslam, in his typical can’t-give-a-straight-or-decisive-answer-until-we-know-which-way-the-winds-are-blowing, said “it has merit.” That bill failed also even though Speaker Harwell walked out so she wouldn’t have to cast a vote? And then remember the third time a bill was filed to give illegal immigrants taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition? And Governor Haslam took a picture on the capitol steps with advocates for illegal immigration to make sure all Tennesseans understood he actually supports at least a little bit of illegal immigration, Since Haslam can’t run again it’s okay for him to break the campaign promise he made to demagnetize Tennessee from illegal immigration. When he was desperate to be Governor he promised all kinds of things in writing and told voters that: In order to keep Tennessee a great state, we must also work to provide more and better job opportunities for Tennessee residents. An important part of that effort must be making sure that available jobs are…

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Off the Record: Boyd’s Team in Shelby County Gives a Lesson in Political Arrogance

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s campaign team was fired up to be in West Tennessee last week! After opening a Shelby County HQ last Saturday, they capped the day by dressing down Shelby County’s GOP chairman and terrorizing diners at the GOP dinner that night. All because they weren’t treated the way they believed they deserved to be treated. As reported to The Tennessee Star tip line (and subsequently confirmed in other media reports): Chip Saltsman got so mad last night at Shelby County GOP Chair Lee Mills because Diane Black was on the agenda to introduce Senator Tim Scott he screamed at Lee and called him a p***y in front of everyone in the hotel lobby. In case you can’t figure out what p***y spells, think of those little pink hats that all those angry women wore while marching.  Chip has spent time in D.C. and maybe that’s how they talk to each other “up there” but in Tennessee we express our displeasure with at least a touch of C-I-V-I-L-I-T-Y. Campaign managers of self-described MODERATES like Randy Boyd should also realize that calling someone a cat can be offensive if that someone is really a dog person. As if Chip’s rant wasn’t…

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Democrat Mayor Who Endorsed Randy Boyd & Is Open to Bringing Immigrants to Gibson County Runs as Independent in Next Election

After publicly endorsing GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd and welcoming Muslims and immigrants to take jobs in Gibson County, Mayor Tom Witherspoon, twice elected as a Democrat, will run for re-election as an Independent. Witherspoon credits Randy Boyd for helping “Gibson County stay in the race to land the Tyson Foods plant” and on several occasions, has suggested that his vote for Boyd is payback for that assistance saying, “[t]hat man kept his word with me and I’ll keep my word with him.” Witherspoon also says that like Boyd, he welcomes Muslims and immigrants to come work in Gibson County: Randy, like me, isn’t afraid of a Muslim coming to the county and maybe seeking a job, or a legal immigrant coming to the county. He’s not afraid of that; neither am I. If somebody wants to come here legally, and seek employment and be productive and work hard, God knows we need more of that, not less of it. Meat processing and packaging companies, including Tyson Foods, employ a steady stream of arriving refugees in plants across the country. In the case of the Tyson Foods plant in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the company justified bringing Burmese refugee workers to supplement…

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Steve Osborn Commentary: It’s Time for Tennessee’s Grassroots to Back Diane Black for Governor

by Steve Osborn   The folks in the grassroots conservative movement have been working hard these last few years trying to be the Vanguards of Liberty, and trying to undo the damage inflicted on our nation by liberals. We may disagree from time to time on issues, tactics, or candidates, but we remain steadfast and united in our common goals: defending the Constitution, restoring our constitutional Republic, and preserving our long-held American values. However, some of us have been choosing to support one candidate over another because of what is said on the campaign trail or what we’ve heard from someone else without doing any research from reputable sources on our own. In many ways, we’ve acted like we’re electing a high-school class president based on a popularity contest without truly knowing who best shares our values, or who would best represent us in the state. We have to grow beyond that. Just doing basic research of the candidates would either support what is said on the trail, or prove that a candidate is simply pandering for votes. Consequently, we’ve been electing Republicans in Tennessee who’ve run as conservatives only for them to show that they’re actually liberals once they’re in…

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Gubernatorial Forum on Education a Slow-Moving Draw Punctuated by Partisan Differences Over In-State Tuition for Illegals

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) Gubernatorial Forum on Education held at Belmont University’s Curb Center on Tuesday turned out to be a slow-moving draw punctuated by partisan differences between the three Republicans and two Democrats in attendance over in-state-tuition for illegals. Each of the five participating candidates made their points and none hurt themselves, for the most part restating positions they had staked out in pre-forum interviews with the Professional Educators of Tennessee. Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, and Williamson County businessman Bill Lee were the three Republican gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Tennessee House Minority Leader State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) were the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates in attendance. Republican candidate Mae Beavers did not attend, due to the passing of her mother. Republican candidate Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) also did not attend, due to scheduling conflicts since Congress is currently in session. NewsChannel5, the media co-sponsor, broadcast the forum live for one hour. NewsChannel5’s Rory Johnson was co-moderator of the event, along with reporter David Plazas from media co-sponsor The USA Today – Tennessee. The moderators posed about a dozen questions to the…

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Debate Preview: GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Answer Five Questions on Education

The Gubernatorial Candidate Educational Forum will be held at Belmont University and broadcast on NewsChannel 5 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm tonight, Tuesday, January 22. The Tennessee Star will be there, along with six of the seven leading gubernatorial candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties. Republicans in attendance will be Randy Boyd, Bill Lee, Mae Beavers, and Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R- Nashville). Democrats in attendance will be Karl Dean and State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley). Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06) will be the only gubernatorial candidate not in attendance. Black is in Washington, where Congress is currently in session. Earlier this month, the Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET) asked all seven candidates five questions about education. PET has graciously shared their responses with The Tennessee Star. As a preview of tonight’s debate, we present the responses of the five leading GOP Gubernatorial candidates to those questions. QUESTION 1: Thank you for taking the time to share with our educators today. On behalf of our members, I would like to say we are grateful you are offering yourself for Governor. Please share with educators a little about who you are, and why you are running for…

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On the Question of TennCare Expansion, Answers Fall Along Party Lines for Gubernatorial Candidates

Healthy Tennessee, a Nashville-based 501(c)(3), hosted a healthcare symposium Friday featuring several of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties with moderators Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and Healthy Tennessee Founder President Dr. Manny Sethi. Although the event was slated to have the candidates “share their vision and plans for a healthier Tennessee,” the discussion largely centered around the question of whether and how much should Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare be expanded. “Our forum is designed to provide a meaningful opportunity for each candidate to speak directly to the voters of Tennessee and provide a unique perspective on potential solutions to the health care problems facing our state today,” said Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry in a statement about the gathering. In all, six out of the seven candidates vying for their parties’ nominations were on hand, with each individual taking the stage to share their thoughts with the moderators and audience one at a time. Both Democrat candidates, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, joined Republicans House Speaker Beth Harwell, Franklin-area businessman Bill Lee, Knoxville-area businessman Randy Boyd, and former State Senator Mae Beavers. The only top-tier candidate not attending was Representative Diane Black, who opted to stay in Washington D.C. amid the looming…

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Republican and Democrat Gubernatorial Candidates Weigh In On The Need For An Additional $72 Million For Memphis Regional Megasite Infrastructure

At the eighth annual South West Tennessee Development District (SWTDD) Legislative Luncheon held January 3, one of the topics discussed by the gubernatorial candidates in attendance is the need for an additional $72 million to address infrastructure at the Memphis Regional Megasite. The Memphis Regional Megasite is a 4,100-acre state-owned manufacturing site located between Jackson and Memphis off I-40. The site was acquired by the state in 2009 according to the Tennessee Economic and Community Development (TNECD) website, has had investments of more than $106 million, although other reports indicate tax payer investments of as much as $144 million. TNECD Commissioner, Bob Rolfe, named to the position on February 16, 2017, following the departure of former TNECD Commissioner turned gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd, recently said another $72 million would be needed to complete infrastructure projects that would make the site “shovel ready.” Five gubernatorial candidates were represented at the SWTDD luncheon: Republicans Mae Beavers, Diane Black and Bill Lee as well as Democrat Craig Fitzhugh and Karl Dean’s campaign manager, Courtney Wheeler. Republican candidates Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell and Kay White did not attend. Four of the five candidates agreed that the $72 million additional investment needs to be made.…

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Gubernatorial Candidates Randy Boyd and Karl Dean Support LGBT Agenda

Despite being from two different parties, two millionaire gubernatorial candidates, Republican Randy Boyd and Democrat Karl Dean, have used the umbrella of employment discrimination to publicly validate the LGBT agenda. According to the American Psychological Association (APA),  LGB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual),  “refers to sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is defined as an often enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions of men to women or women to men (heterosexual), of women to women or men to men (homosexual), or by men or women to both sexes (bisexual).” The “T” in LGBT refers to “transgender,” considered by the APA to describe people whose “gender identity, gender expression or behavior” does not match the sex with which they were born or assigned at birth. Gender identity “refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics.” During his tenure as mayor of Nashville and Davidson County, Karl Dean issued Executive Order No.008 ensuring that the issues of “gender, gender identity and sexual orientation” were embedded in the city and county’s employment policies. Randy Boyd voiced his support for the same agenda through…

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Randy Boyd Looking For a Way to Give Illegal Aliens In-State College Tuition

Randy Boyd

During last week’s radio interview with Ralph Bristol, Randy Boyd repeats the same arguments being used by legislators to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens living in Tennessee. At first, Boyd makes it sound as if he is opposed to giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens when he says, “I don’t believe that the state should be providing additional benefits for people that are illegal in our state.” But Boyd makes a quick pivot relying on the same arguments used by legislators who voted in favor of the State Sen. Gardenhire/State Rep. White in-state tuition bill. Former State Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) said his focus was wanting to help UT Martin fill their open seats because “we need more students in college…we are not at full capacity now…I’m just trying to reach more students.” Boyd used a partially empty hotel example to illustrate why the state shouldn’t use its tuition policies to “charge a penalty of triple” the amount of in-state tuition: I think that’s true and I think this my be a longer conversation for another interview, but I think there is also a concern that I have about us being able to attract more talent around the country and around…

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Randy Boyd On In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens: Universities ‘Would Make A Significant Amount of Money’ By Not Charging Them ‘Triple’ Out-of-State Rates

Randy Boyd

In a carefully parsed response to a question from WTN’s Ralph Bristol on Wednesday, GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd said he agreed with a recent opinion issued by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery that the matter of charging in-state tuition for illegal aliens is the responsibility of the Tennessee General Assembly. But, Boyd added, our “[state] universities are not at capacity,” and, just like a hotel, we should not keep paying students away by charging them “triple” out-of-state tuition, but instead should charge them “full” in-state tuition. This is the precise language used by in-state-tuition advocates State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) in their recent attempts to push in-state-tuition for illegals through the Tennessee General Assembly. Gardenhire and White are expected to re-introduce that legislation to the Tennessee General Assembly when it convenes next month. The recent Tennessee Star poll shows the support of in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants is potentially toxic to a campaign aiming to earn a majority of Republican primary voters in 2018. A staggering 88 percent of Republican primary voters polled say they oppose providing taxpayer subsidized in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students versus a mere 6 percent who…

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Boyd-Endorsing Mayor May Help Humboldt, Tennessee Become a New Refugee Resettlement Site

Tysons Foods recently announced the building of a chicken processing plant in Humboldt, bringing with it, 1,500 jobs to Gibson County’s largest city.  While GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd was Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD), business development money began flowing to Gibson County, an investment that has paid off for Boyd with it’s mayor supporting his run for governor. Tom Witherspoon, mayor of Gibson County was included on Boyd’s July list of county mayor endorsements. Locating a food processing plant in Gibson County may also continue a trend of transforming small rural towns by becoming a magnet for federal refugee resettlement contractors looking to place low-skill workers who don’t have to speak English. Tysons Foods has a demonstrated commitment to employing refugees; its Human Resources Manager, Gary Denton served on the board of the Nashville-based Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee. Representing the State of Tennessee Economic & Community Development, Lamar Alexander’s son, Will, while serving as Chief of Staff for Haslam’s ECD, served as Treasurer for the resettlement contractor, the Nashville International Center for Empowerment. The federal resettlement program allows refugee contractors to place refugees within 100 miles of the resettlement contractor’s office and that, “[re]gardless of their…

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Randy Boyd Fundraiser With Jeb Bush Closed to the Public, $4,000 Bought a Picture With Both

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Jeb Bush on Thursday headlined a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd at the Omni Hotel downtown. Boyd, who is considered an establishment figure by grassroots conservatives, has faced criticism for turning to Bush to boost his campaign. The former Florida governor badly failed in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination last year. Thursday’s event was closed to the media, which a Boyd campaign spokeswoman reiterated in the hotel lobby when approached by a reporter and photographer for The Tennessee Star.  There did not appear to be any other journalists at the Omni. Several Boyd supporters and volunteers approached by The Star declined to be interviewed. Earlier in the day, Bush spoke at a conference on education at the Omni, where U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also spoke. The conference, which concludes today, was organized by the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), an initiative founded by Bush that promotes school choice and other education reforms. In the evening, Bush fans paid big bucks to mingle with him and Boyd and Boyd’s wife, Jenny, at the fundraiser. A photo reception cost $4,000 per person/couple. A general reception cost $1,000 per person/couple, and the dinner that…

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Mae Beavers Calls on Tennessee Comptroller to ‘Conduct a Complete and Thorough Audit and Investigation’ of All TECD Grants Issued During Randy Boyd’s Tenure as Commissioner

Conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers called on the Tennessee Comptroller to “conduct a complete and thorough audit and investigation” of all the grants issued during Randy Boyd’s tenure as commissioner of Tennessee Economic and Community Development (TECD). Boyd announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in March after resigning as commissioner of TECD in January. “It appears Randy Boyd has used Tennessee taxpayer dollars and resources as ECD Commissioner to lay the foundations of his gubernatorial campaign,” Beavers said in a statement released late Monday. “The Comptroller should conduct a complete and thorough audit and investigation of this grant — as well as all other grants awarded during Mr. Boyd’s tenure — in order to determine if this is part of a broader pattern of targeted corporate welfare designed to build political support,” the former State Senator from Mt. Juliet said. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Justin P. Wilson is in charge several departments, including the  Division of State Audit, which “conducts financial and compliance audits, performance audits, information systems audits, attestation engagements, investigations, and special studies to provide the General Assembly, the Governor, and the citizens of Tennessee with objective information about the state’s financial condition…

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State Senate Candidate Shane Reeves’ Company Received $1 Million Grant from TECD Approved by Randy Boyd in 2016, Reeves Family PAC Donated $5,000 to Gubernatorial Campaign in 2017

Tennessee political observers are questioning whether former commissioner of Tennessee Economic and Community Development (TECD), and current Republican candidate for governor, Randy Boyd used his previous office as a platform to prepare a gubernatorial campaign by directing state grants to local officials and businesses who might, and in many cases have, support his run for governor. One example cited by those observers involves State Senate candidate Shane Reeves. In July 2016 Randy Boyd, then-commissioner of TECD,  approved a $1 million “Fast Track Economic Development Fund” grant for Murfreesboro based TwelveStone Health Partners, whose founder and and CEO Shane Reeves is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 14th District State Senate special election prompted by the resignation of State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville). Soon after Boyd left his state position to run for governor, the Reeves Family PAC, which lists Shane Reeves as the sole officer, donated $5,000 in April, 2017 to the Randy Boyd gubernatorial campaign. Reeves also personally endorsed Boyd during a campaign stop in Murfreesboro that same month. Randy Boyd resigned as commissioner of TECD in January 2017 and announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in March. In October, the Randy Boyd for Governor campaign announced that “50 of the 95 county mayors…

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