Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden Explains Delegate Process

People Voting

With early voting underway for the March 5 Presidential Preference Primary and County Primary Elections, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden explained how voters elect delegates in the Volunteer State.

In addition to the presidential and county candidates, two types of delegates are elected by Republican voters on the primary ballot – at-large delegates, which represent the entire state and appear on the ballot in every county, and delegates that represent each congressional district.

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Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden Assesses 7th Congressional District Race amid U.S. Rep. Mark Green’s Retirement

Scott Golden

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said he was surprised when Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his retirement from Congress.

Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced his retirement on Wednesday, just one day after leading the House in a historic vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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Blount County State Executive Committee-Elect Mark Pulliam Describes Efforts Made by the Tennessee GOP to Keep Him Out

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Misrule of Law blog creator and California refugee Mark Pulliam to the newsmaker line to discuss his win of State Executive Committee seat in Blount County and the efforts made by the Tennessee Republican Party to take him off after the election had been certified.

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Chairman Scott Golden: Tennessee Republican Party Actions ‘Completely Vindicated’ by Unanimous Tennessee Supreme Court Ruling

In a statement provided to The Tennessee Star Friday, Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) Chair Scott Golden reacted to the unanimous decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court that “completely vindicated” the party’s actions in determining that Robby Starbuck, a disqualified Tennessee 5th Congressional District candidate, was not a bona fide Republican because he did not meet the requirements as outline in the bylaws.

Golden said, “We very much appreciate the unanimous decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The ruling completely vindicated the actions of the Tennessee Republican Party and affirmed our authority to ensure that only Bona Fide Republicans are allowed to be Republican candidates for office.”

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Tennessee Republican Party Files Appeal, Starbuck Ordered to Respond by 4 P.M. Tuesday

The Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) filed their appeal on Monday morning with the Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Nashville of the ruling made by Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins ordering disqualified TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck on the August 4 primary ballot.

The Court of Appeals ordered Starbuck to respond to the TRP’s filings by 4pm on Tuesday.

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Tennessee Republican Party Immediately Appealing Liberal Democrat Activist Judge’s Decision Reinstating Disqualified TN-5 Candidate

Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) Chairman Scott Golden exclusively told The Tennessee Star on Saturday morning, that the TRP will be filing an appeal of Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins’ ruling ordering Robby Starbuck on the ballot on Monday.

“We’re disappointed with the judge’s ruling, obviously, and we’ll be filing an appeal on Monday,” said Golden.

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Tennessee Republican Party Reports Record Number of GOP Candidates Running for Office

Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden, in a statement exclusively provided to The Tennessee Star, reports that 2022 saw a record number of GOP candidates qualifying to run for office in the state. 

“Red Wave ’22 is sweeping across the Nation and there are more Republicans than ever before running in Tennessee. We have more candidates for more offices in more counties than we have ever had in the history of Tennessee,” said Golden.

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Federal Judge Takes Arguments Under Advisement, Appears Extremely Skeptical of Robby Starbuck’s Case to Get Back on TN-5 Ballot

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – District Court of the Middle District of Tennessee Chief Judge Waverly Crenshaw appeared to take an extremely skeptical view of the case presented by Robby Starbuck’s legal team during a Tuesday hearing on a preliminary injunction request.

In its motion, Starbuck’s legal team asked Judge Crenshaw to void the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP)’s decision to disqualify him from Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District Republican primary and to order the Tennessee Department of State to put him on the ballot.

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Hearing Scheduled for May 10 in TN-5 Disqualified Candidate’s ‘Hail Mary’ Lawsuit Against Tennessee Republican Party

A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee regarding a motion made in disqualified TN-5 GOP Congressional candidate Robby Starbuck’s lawsuit against Chairman Scott Golden, the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP), and the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.

The presiding judge is Chief District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, an Obama appointee.

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Misleading Claims Promoted About Disqualification of Ortagus and Starbuck from TN-5 Race

The aftermath of the Tennessee Republican Party’s removal of Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee from the TN-5 ballot has seen several news outlets, social media influencers, national political figures, and affected candidates have make misinformed claims.

CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Star News Digital Media Michael Patrick Leahy, which owns and operates The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network, provided a full step-by-step breakdown of what really happened that led to Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee’s disqualification from the TN-5 race.

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Sean Hannity Got Facts Completely Wrong in Radio Monologue on TNGOP Disqualification of Morgan Ortagus

Sean Hannity got the facts completely wrong in a monologue he gave on the Monday, April 25 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program on the Tennessee Republican Party’s action disqualifying carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus from the Tennessee 5th Congressional District August 4 Republican Primary race.

On his radio show, Hannity accused the TNGOP of “actually being willing to change the rules in the middle of the game.”

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Morgan Ortagus Says She’s ‘Not Really Sure’ Why She Was Disqualified from TN-5 Ballot

Morgan Ortagus, a former candidate for the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, told a Fox News host on Monday morning that she didn’t know why she was disqualified from the ballot.

“You know, I’m not really sure, Brian,” Ortagus responded to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade when he asked her, “You’re not going to have a chance to run for the Republican nomination in Tennessee as a congresswoman. You got booted off the ballot, why?”

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Carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus Alleges Tennessee Republican Party Corruption to Entire Country on Fox News but Offers No Evidence

Former TN-5 candidate Morgan Ortagus told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Monday morning that the Tennessee Republican Party is corrupt but offered no evidence to corroborate her claims.

Ortagus told Kilmeade at the close of an interview, “We’re going to work on efforts to clean up the corruption here in the Tennessee GOP as well.”

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The Real Story of How the Tennessee GOP Followed the Party’s Bylaws to Disqualify Three Candidates from the TN-5 Primary Ballot

Many national and local news outlets have reported inaccurately about the process by which the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) disqualified three candidates from the August 4, 2022 GOP primary ballot in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on April 19, 2022.

In the immediate aftermath of this decision made by the TRP in accordance with its bylaws and the laws of Tennessee, Robby Starbuck (legal name Robert Starbuck Newsom), one of the three disqualified candidates, delivered a series of press interviews and social media statements in which he made false claims about the integrity of the TRP’s process in handling his disqualification.

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It’s Official: Carpbetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck Are Off the Tennessee 5th Congressional District GOP Primary Ballot

Scott Golden, the chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, submitted a letter on Wednesday morning in accordance with party bylaws and the state code to Mark Goins, the coordinator of elections for the state of Tennessee, officially notifying him that disqualified Tennessee 5th Congressional District candidates Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee are removed “completely from the Republican August primary ballot.”

The letter included a notification of the full list of candidates in a variety of races that the TNGOP voted to restore to the ballot, as well as the full list of candidates, in accordance with state law, that the party voted to remove completely.

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TNGOP Chair: Committee Voted to Disqualify Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee from TN-5 GOP Ballot

TNGOP Scott Golden has confirmed to The Tennessee Star that as of Tuesday evening, Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee, and are no longer candidates for the TN-5 GOP nomination due to a vote by a select committee of the Tennessee Republican party.

The select committee voted not to restore Robby Starbuck, Morgan Ortagus, and Baxter Lee to the ballot after they were previously removed because of verified challenges to their bona fide status.

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Weak Fundraising Report for TN-5 Carpetbagger Candidate Robby Starbuck: Raised Only $104k, with 64 Percent from Out-of-State

The first quarter of 2022 finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck shows that he raised just over $104,000 in the first three months of the year, with 64.73% percent of that– $67,666– coming from out-of-state, and just 35.26 percent of it–$36,857–coming from Tennessee.

Starbuck raised $104,523.78 for the Federal Election Commission reporting period covering January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022 but had a very high burn rate, spending $71,003.56 of it.

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Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office Provides Partial Clarification on Applicability of Law to Carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, but Leaves Out Key State Code

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office provided partial clarification on the applicability of the newly enacted three-year residency law to carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, but left out a reference to a key part of state code.

The Tennessee Star previously reported that mere hours after the enactment of the new three-year residency law for federal candidates in primaries, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office offered conflicting comments about whether he intends to enforce the new law and remove “carpetbagger” candidates from the August 4 Republican primary ballot.

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TN Secretary of State Offers Conflicting Comments on Whether He Will Enforce Residency Law and Remove Carpetbaggers from the TN-5 Ballot

Within hours of the enactment of a new law on Wednesday that requires candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee to be residents of the state for three years prior to their placement on a primary ballot, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office offered conflicting comments about whether he intends to enforce the new law and remove “carpetbagger” candidates from the August 4 Republican primary ballot.

Reaction from Tennessee state legislators to the comments from the Secretary of State’s office  were swift and pointed.

Sources tell The Tennessee Star that if the Tennessee Secretary of State refuses to enforce the newly enacted law and remove any candidate from the ballot for the U.S. House who fails to meet the three-year residency requirement he will be sued to require him to enforce the law.

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Sources: Andy Ogles Will Focus on TN-5 Congressional Bid and Not Run for Re-election as Maury County Mayor

Sources close to Andy Ogles tell The Tennessee Star that he will announce later this week that he will focus on his bid for the TN-5 GOP nomination and will withdraw as a candidate for re-election as mayor of Maury County.

First elected mayor in 2018, Ogles is currently the GOP nominee for Maury County mayor in the Aug 4 county general election, which is scheduled to be held on the same day and in the same Maury County polling locations as the TN-5 GOP primary election.

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Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, Baxter Lee Removed from the TN-5 GOP Primary Ballot – for Now

On Saturday, April 9, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden briefed the TNGOP State Executive Committee on the challenge process, explaining that the challenges would be adjudicated before noon on April 21.

Prior to the start of the meeting, there was some confusion, as sources expected the TNGOP to take action on the challenges at Saturday’s meeting.

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SB 2616 Requires Tennessee Residency Prior to April 2019 for Candidates to Qualify for 2022 GOP Primary in TN-5

On Wednesday the sponsor of SB 2616 told The Tennessee Star if the bill becomes law, candidates for the August 2022 GOP primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District would qualify for the primary ballot only if they established Tennessee residency prior to April 7, 2019, three years before the April 7, 2022 filing deadline for this year’s primary.

The bill passed in the State and Local Government Committee of The Tennessee State Senate on Tuesday in a bipartisan 5-1 vote.

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Letter to the Editor: Robby Starbuck Misunderstands Tennessee Political Candidate Bylaws

Robby Starbuck is quoted as saying, “Party chairs in Davidson & Williamson have had my voter history from CA and TN for a long time. They’ve had zero issue with it. It’s been sent to the Wilson County GOP chair recently too. I called Williamson County GOP Chair Cheryl Brown last night to confirm that there’s no issue again. Cheryl confirmed again to me that there’s no issue with my eligibility.”

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Says Joe Biden Fears Oversight That Trump Appointees Would Give Military Advisory Board

Three prominent members of Tennessee’s Republican Party on Thursday denounced U.S. President Joe Biden for demanding that appointees of former U.S. President Donald Trump resign from the U.S. Military Academy’s advisory board. U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), an alumnus of and a member of the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors, addressed the matter in an emailed press release Wednesday.

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Middle Tennessee Post Offices Hit By ‘Incredibly Rare’ Burglaries One Day Before Election

One or more people broke in and vandalized six post offices in Middle Tennessee either Sunday night or early Monday morning, one day before an election where some people voted using absentee ballots.

Nathaniel Sims, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspector in Brentwood, told The Tennessee Star in an email Thursday that people don’t generally break into postal facilities.

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Tennessee GOP Votes to Affirm Eddie Mannis as House District 18 Primary Winner Potentially in Violation of State Law

The Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee (SEC) in a meeting held via conference call Wednesday evening voted to affirm the August 6 results of the House District 18 primary that was won by Eddie Mannis, potentially in violation of state law.

The vote was 43 to 18 by the SEC, which functions as the State Primary Board (SPB) in a primary contest.

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State GOP to Take Up House District 18 Primary Challenge Wednesday, Votes to Charge Candidates a Fee to Run as a Republican

At Saturday’s meeting of the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) State Executive Committee, the majority voted to charge candidates for certain offices a fee to run as a Republican and won’t take up the issue of the House District 18 primary challenge until Wednesday.

TRP Chairman Scott Golden told The Tennessee Star he wasn’t sure why some people thought that the challenge to the House District 18 primary results would be taken up at Saturday’s meeting and said it wasn’t “because it’s against the law.”

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House Speaker Glen Casada Starts Discussions With Republicans on Date He Will Resign

  Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada is holding discussions with Republican lawmakers on when he will resign, now that he has returned from a vacation in Europe, WKRN reported. The station quoted Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden as saying Monday that Casada would “meet with the leadership team and those discussions are going to start today.” However, some Republicans are voicing frustration that his talks are going through the end of this week and he has refused to set an actual date to step down, NewsChannel 5 said. State Rep. Casada (R-Franklin) said in late May he would resign as speaker after House Republicans voted “no confidence” by a margin of 45-24, The Tennessee Star reported. Another question looming before the House is who will fill Casada’s shoes. Steve Gill, Political Editor of The Star, said, “Once speaker Casada announces the timetable for his departure, the fight to replace him will begin in earnest. So far, there has been some positioning and preparation but it will be full on Game of Thrones soon.” “Some potential candidates may ultimately decide to wait for another shot, not because they don’t want to be Speaker but because they make the calculation that…

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State Rep. Matthew Hill Seeks House Speaker Position

  State Rep. Matthew Hill (R-TN-07) said he will seek the Republican nomination for Speaker of the Tennessee House. The Jonesborough Republican, who is the Deputy House Speaker, made the announcement Wednesday at a legislative breakfast hosted by the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, WJHL said. State Rep. Mike Carter (R-TN-29) also has announced a desire to run for the position, multiple media outlets reported. One day after the Tennessee House Republican Caucus met and voted “no confidence” in his continued leadership by a margin of 45-24, Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) released a statement announcing he intends to resign as Speaker at a date to be determined in cooperation with the Caucus leadership, The Tennessee Star reported Tuesday. Casada did not indicate whether he would continue to serve as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing parts of Williamson County. The entire Republican House leadership, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, and Gov. Bill Lee have all called on Casada to resign, The Star said. WJHL reported that Hill told them he voted “no confidence” in Casada and also spoke to him. “I spoke with the speaker privately about that and he knows of…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Glen Casada is a Political Dead Man Walking

  During a discussion Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy speculated whether or not Glen Casada would resign. Towards the end of the segment the men came to the conclusion that David Byrd was next on the chopping block because anybody can say anything in the mainstream media if you’re a conservative and will run with it without any proof. Gill: At The Tennessee Star you can read the details of yesterdays historic and frankly bizarre action. Again you hear the reporters asking these questions about the alteration of the email. You had the full circus on. Justin Jones the social justice warrior who’s arrested for disrupting a Marsha Blackburn event then bump rushed House Speaker Glen Casada in the capitol. Then threw a cup of Frothy Monkey liquid at the House Speake,  hitting him, then Representative Deborah Moody He was out there with a megaphone shouting and adding to this disruption is all. Of course the media not paying any attention to his criminal action and why he’s there continuing…

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Tennessee Republican Party Supports President Trump’s Commitment to Border Security

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden has come out in support of President Trump’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday. “The most important job a president has is to protect Americans, and today’s visit to the southern border by President Trump further illustrates his strong commitment to our nation’s safety,” Golden said in a statement. “While Democrats continue to play petty partisan games with our security, drug dealers, human traffickers and enemies of this country flaunt our sovereign border. The games have to end, and Democrats need to work with President Trump to make America a more secure nation. This is non-negotiable.” Trump visited the border in Texas Thursday, Fox News reported: During an afternoon briefing with border agents at a patrol station in McAllen, Trump highlighted the prevalence of guns and drugs along the border. The president spoke in front of a table of items border agents have seized, including a rifle, handguns, a plastic bag full of cash and black-taped bricks of heroin and meth. “If we had a barrier of any kind, a powerful barrier, whether it’s steel or concrete…We would stop it cold,” Trump said of human trafficking. The president posted a Twitter video of himself with…

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Tennessee Star Report: GOP Chair Scott Golden Says Primary Runoff Elections Would Require Passage of State Law

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the gentlemen chatted with Scott Golden, the newly re-elected Chairman of the Tennessee Republican party about who the Democrats have in Tennessee for a 2020 run and the current items on the table with the state legislature which Golden mentioned in particular towards the end of the conversation, the ability to make changes to the state constitution in regards to election reform. He made news when he pointed out that the establishment of primary runoff elections would require more than action by the Tennessee Republican Party. At a minimum, the Tennessee General Assembly would have to pass enabling legislation, which the governor would sign into law. Gill: Joining us on our newsmakers line today, the newly re-elected Chairman of the Tennessee Republican party, Scott Golden.  And Scott, I asked you just before we broke, we want to talk about some of the other resolutions that the state executive committee passed over the weekend.  But if you were on the other side, the cupboard’s pretty bare if you’re a Democrat looking…

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Tennessee Republican Party Re-Elects Scott Golden as Chairman

The Tennessee Republican Party re-elected Scott Golden Saturday as its chairman to a second two-year term. “I am deeply honored and grateful to have the opportunity to lead our state’s Republican Party once again, and I thank the members of our State Executive Committee for their continued trust,” said Golden in a statement. “Tennessee Republicans made history this past year and we continued to build on a foundation of success that put us in prime position to expand our supermajorities in the General Assembly and help re-elect the president in 2020.” “I would like to congratulate Jennifer Little, Shannon Haynes, Beth Scott Clayton Amos and Pat Allen on their elections to vice chair, treasurer, vice treasurer and secretary respectively.” said Golden. “These women have the skills and long history of dedication to our party that will be instrumental to our success during the 2020 cycle.” Golden chaired the Tennessee Republican Party through the 2018 general elections, a historic year for Republicans in the Volunteer State: Republican Marsha Blackburn was elected as the first woman to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. Republican Bill Lee was elected as the first Republican to succeed a Republican governor in Tennessee. Republican supermajorities were…

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Tennessee Republican Party Also Asks Legislature to Increase Number of Signatures Required on Petitions to Run for Public Office

The Tennessee Republican Party’s State Executive Committee voted to approve several election-related resolutions urging the 111th General Assembly to update the state’s election laws. The party issued a statement about the resolutions over the weekend. The GOP Executive Committee met Saturday. Resolutions included: Required Signatures for Public Office: This resolution asks the 111th General Assembly to increase the number of signatures required to run for public office to be equal to the level of office being sought. Timing for Special Elections: This resolution asks the 111th General Assembly to create a requirement for a special election to be called in the case of a vacancy within forty-five (45) days of the general election. In other business, the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee re-elected Scott Golden to his second two-year term as party chairman. Also, the State Executive Committee passed a resolution urging the General Assembly to close the primaries to allow only registered party members. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden released the following statement on the resolutions: These common-sense resolutions will help maintain the integrity of our elections and elect the best-qualified Republican candidates to federal, state, and local offices. We ask that the General Assembly consider and adopt the…

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Blackburn Handily Defeats Bredesen to Become Tennessee’s First Woman Senator

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) took a commanding lead of 54.73 percent to Democrat Phil Bredesen’s 43.89 percent to win the U.S. Senate race Tuesday. Blackburn received over 1.22 million votes, to Bredesen’s slightly more than 980,000 votes. The results are from unofficial tallies posted late Tuesday by the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections and the Secretary of State. The results, which could change slightly as districts trickle in, are here. Blackburn said, “You have sent a message that it is time to take Tennessee conservative values to Washington and keep our state and our country moving forward. I am so incredibly grateful to each of you for doing your part, standing with me, staying strong and turning out the vote. It is such an honor to be the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee. I am going to work as hard for you as you have worked for me.” “Just as we said on day one, I will take our shared Tennessee values to work on issues of importance to you in Washington: more constitutional federal judges and Supreme Court Justices, lower taxes, less regulation, protecting the right to life, defending the Second Amendment, providing for our…

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Bredesen Digs Immigration Hole Deeper, Says Illegal Alien Army is ‘More of a Washington Issue’

Phil Bredesen is “talking out of both sides of his mouth,” the Tennessee Republican Party said in response to his latest missive on the illegal alien army marching toward the United States. “Must be a day of the week that ends in ‘y,’” the GOP said. To mark the occasion, the Tennessee Republican Party launched a new ad regarding the Democratic Senate candidate, which is available to watch here. The GOP said Bredesen is scrambling to undo the damage he caused when, during a TV news interview, he smirked and said, “A few thousand very poor people coming to our border is not a threat to our, is not a threat to our security.” After the Bredesen team dashed off an emergency op-ed to The Tennessean – which tried to walk back everything Bredesen said in the video – his team realized it wasn’t enough, and rolled out a new ad talking about how the man who called the wall “political theater” and said the migrant caravan was “not a threat” was tough on the border, the Tennessee Republican Party said in a press release. The Democratic former governor’s latest missive is that the criminal illegal alien army is “more…

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Bredesen Not Serious About Meeting with President Trump, Tennessee GOP Leader Says

Phil Bredesen can fly his $10 million jet to New York to wine and dine with billionaire gun-control advocate Michael Bloomberg but apparently cannot make the slightly shorter trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump. So, Bredesen has issued an invitation to the president to visit him next time he travels to Tennessee to campaign for Bredesen’s rival, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), whom Trump has endorsed. The president attended an Oct. 1 rally to support Blackburn in her run for the U.S. Senate. He also attended a May rally for her. Bredesen on Tuesday tweeted “I’d like to extend an invitation to President Trump — if he comes back to TN to campaign for my opponent— to discuss how we can establish a business relationship with pharma. It’s time for us to put our business hats on and work together to do what’s best for Tennessee.” One problem is that the president has not announced any visits to Tennessee in the immediate future. After Bredesen claimed he wanted to meet with President Trump, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said: “Trump was very explicit: Democrat Phil Bredesen will ‘100 percent’ vote against the President and the…

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Blackburn Praises Senate for Confirming Kavanaugh, While Tennessee GOP Leader Calls It Fulfillment of President Trump’s Promises

Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, who has strongly supported Judge Brett Kavanaugh, praised the Senate Saturday for confirming the newest Supreme Court justice. The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh on Saturday afternoon following a grueling process in which Democrats waged war against the judge’s character. U.S. Representative Blackburn (R-TN-07) said, “Judge Brett Kavanaugh will make a fine Supreme Court Justice, and I applaud the Senate for confirming his nomination. After weeks of delay tactics and eleventh hour smear campaigns by the Democrats, I am thrilled to see he will serve the American people on the Supreme Court. I am disgusted by Democrats who are already discussing impeaching Judge Kavanaugh before he has even been sworn in. If Phil Bredesen were to be elected, Democrats would take the majority, and they would do everything they could to block President Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court and the federal bench. Phil Bredesen and the Democrats will get it wrong every time, but I will always vote to confirm good constitutionalist judges and justices who do not legislate from the bench.” Blackburn referred to her Senate election opponent, Democratic former Governor Phil Bredesen. He has been harshly criticized for waiting nearly three months to give an insipid…

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New Video Clarifies ‘Phony Phil’s’ Claims

Phil Bredesen

The Tennessee Republican Party is having fun with “Phony Phil” Bredesen’s latest campaign ad filmed outside his grandmother’s American-flag-clad house in New York state. “Phil Bredesen’s most recent campaign ad left out some crucial details, so we decided to make our own video that gives Tennesseans some helpful context,” the Tennessee GOP said in a press release. The GOP took the U.S. Senate candidate’s campaign video and inserted comments clarifying the Harvard graduate’s claims to be a regular guy who wants to stop Washington, D.C., Democrats from telling others how to live. The GOP added comical music and sound effects to complete the experience. Watch the GOP’s video is available to watch: Scott Golden, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, said, “The lack of self-awareness in Phony Phil’s new ad is truly remarkable. Phil complains about ‘educated, secure people who love telling the rest of us how to live’, but he’s only describing himself: a Harvard-educated, limousine liberal who owns a private plane and describes himself as ‘more sophisticated’ than regular Tennesseans. Phony Phil doesn’t pass the smell test, and Tennesseans will let him know this November.” The Chattanooga Times Free Press filmed a video interview with Bredesen in which he said…

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Socialists Very Active in Tennessee Democrat Party Politics

Julie Gautreau

Socialists in Tennessee apparently have even more influence over the Tennessee Democratic Party than previously believed, including at the state level. Julie Gautreau (pictured), who represents the Knoxville chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said as much to The Tennessee Star Tuesday. “A lot of DSA members are members of political parties,” Gautreau said. “I don’t have the statistics, but a lot of them are Democrats. We have members of our DSA chapter who are very active in the local Democratic Party and also in state Democratic Party politics.” Gautreau did not name names. The Knoxville chapter has about 165 members, she said. Gautreau said she did not know how many DSA members Tennessee has statewide. The DSA, she went on, came into existence in April 2016. Even though many members support Democrats it is still a non-partisan organization, she said. Members of the Tennessee Democratic Party did not return a request for comment Tuesday. Neither did anyone from the campaigns of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen or Democratic gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean. A recent press release from the Tennessee Republican Party, however, had something to say about this new breed of Democrat. “Democrats Karl Dean and Phil…

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Tennessee Republicans Call For Democrats To Denounce Memphis Leader’s Remarks Calling Candidates Racist

Corey Strong, Scott Golden, Karl Dean, Phil Bredesen

The Tennessee Republican Party is calling for Democrats to denounce comments of Shelby County’s party leader, who on Facebook labeled Republican candidates “demonstrably racist, homophobic and unethical.” Newsweek reported on the now-deleted comments made Saturday by Corey Strong, chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party. Strong was elected last year to lead the state’s largest county party, which includes Memphis, after the Tennessee Democratic Party “de-certified” the group in 2016 following years of internal strife. “No matter what the Election Commission has done, the Democratic ticket needs 15k+ non-August Democrats to show up and moderate/suburban Dems to not cross over and vote for the demonstrably racist, homophobic, unethical, and unqualified Republican nominees,” Strong said on Facebook. Strong’s comments come in the wake of comments made by Maxine Waters where people should oust Trump Administration officials from public spaces. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden released the following statement: Democrats have reached into their failed 2016 playbook and again taken to name calling and outright lying in an attempt to score political points, all the while nothing but continued silence from Tennessee Democratic leaders Phil Bredesen, Karl Dean, Craig Fitzhugh, and Mary Mancini. When it comes to divisive and harmful rhetoric, Tennesseans deserve better…

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Anti-Skullduggery Act Invoked in Sumner County Commission GOP Primary Marred by Allegations of Candidate Intimidation

The little-known and rarely used “Anti-Skullduggery Act of 1991” has been invoked by Sumner County officials in the already contentious Republican primary in the 7th District of the Sumner County Commission. The colorfully named law, enacted as TCA 2-5-101(h)(1) provides that if a qualified incumbent dies or properly withdraws on the last day for withdrawing, additional candidates may qualify within seven days of the original withdrawal deadline. Effectively, the Anti-Skullduggery Act allows a seven day extension for new candidates to qualify and an additional four days after the new qualifying deadline to withdraw. According to Sumner County Administrator of Elections, Lori Atchley, the purpose of the Act is to prevent an incumbent from setting up their replacement with a last minute qualifying petition and withdrawal by the incumbent. In the case of the Sumner County 7th Commission District, single-term incumbent commissioner JoAnne Kemp intends to move out of the county in a relatively short timeframe, and, as such, withdrew her name as a qualified candidate. Unintentionally, Kemp’s withdrawal occurred on the final day, thereby legally requiring the Sumner County Election Commission to extend a qualifying and withdrawal period limited to the 7th County Commission district. The original filing deadline for the May 1…

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Vice President Mike Pence Visits Nashville, Thanks Tennesseans For Supporting President Trump

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday personally thanked the Volunteer State for helping put President Trump in office. “We were counting on Tennessee last fall and Tennessee delivered,” Pence said during his keynote speech at the Tennessee Republican Party’s Statesmen’s Dinner. The annual fundraising event was held at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam gave opening remarks. In November, Trump won 61 percent of the vote in Tennessee, taking all but three counties – Davidson, Shelby and Haywood. Pence in his speech also celebrated the news that broke Thursday about West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice switching from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Pence devoted most of his speech to praising Trump’s successes in office and his plans for the coming months. He said Trump is slashing more regulations than any other president in American history, and noted the president’s efforts to roll back progressive environmental policies, such as ending the “war on coal” and withdrawing from the Paris climate accord. Pence also lauded Trump for increasing defense spending, strengthening border protection and cracking down on gangs such as MS-13. In the area of foreign policy, Pence said other countries know that…

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