All-Star Panelist Clint Brewer and Host Michael Patrick Leahy Juxtapose the Tennessee Republican Bylaws and Senator Frank Niceley’s SB2616 Bill

 

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. –  host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in-studio to compare and contrast the current Tennessee Republican Party bylaws and the newly formed SB2616 bill proposed by Senator Frank Niceley.

Leahy: We are broadcasting live from our studios on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. We are talking politics with our good friend Clint Brewer. You know, we’re really covering this 5th Congressional District race.

You know, we were talking off-air, and years ago, this race – because of all its national implications with a Trump endorsement, pushback against his endorsement locally, the national focus on the would-be MAGA promoters – reporters a decade ago or two decades ago from all over the state, all over the country, would have been really reporting on this.

Right now, it looks like The Tennessee Star is really the only news outlet providing in-depth coverage on the 5th Tennessee District race. Your thoughts on that?

Brewer: There have been a few outlets that have done sort of follow-up pieces, wrap-up pieces. But in terms of actually breaking news on it, I’m surprised. First of all, it is a story full of terrific political theater.

Leahy: Oh, yeah.

Brewer: And second of all, it’s one of those sorts of wonky, down-in-the-weeds insider politics stories. You’re talking about the internal machinations of the state executive committee, the party, and what the rules are.

Now you’ve got a law going through about it. And all of this is tied back to the endorsement of the former President of the United States. It’s just really interesting. Robby Starbuck, in addition.

Leahy: The man-bun-wearing, MAGA-proclaiming California transplant with the background of producing, shall we say, questionable music videos –

Brewer: (Laughs) Yeah, exactly.

Leahy: And then you’ve got strong local players out there: Baxter Lee, a well-regarded businessman. You’ve got the Maury County Mayor, Andy Ogles, who’s been on this show, kind of waiting in the background.

Former Speaker Harwell is waiting in the background. It’s a great story, even if all you’re doing is covering the blow-by-blow. I just don’t see any coverage of it.

Leahy: Except, of course, at The Tennessee Star, where we are breaking news, as I say, left and right. Mostly right. (Laughter)

Again, now you’re a political junkie, and yet a lot of this is, a little bit, is in the weeds. And let me talk about the issue of being eligible to be on the GOP primary ballot.

The primary, of course, is in August of 2022. And there are two paths to talk about. One is the current Tennessee Republican Party bylaws.

We’ll talk about that in a bit. And then the other is this new, fascinating law – bill – that sailed through the state and local government committee proposed by State Senator Frank Niceley. It looks like it’s going to become law, frankly.

It will have legal challenges on issues of constitutionality. I think it will win, many think it might not win. But I think it will. But basically, it establishes a three-year residency period before you qualify for a primary ballot in Tennessee. Just fascinating.

So let’s go back to Tennessee. I talked to Scott Golden, the chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party yesterday. And by the way, let me just say this. As state party chairmen go, Scott is really strong and really good.

Brewer: Absolutely.

Leahy: And Tennessee Republican Party people in the county, you know, they say, “Oh, it’s a good ole boy.” They’re really good people compared to the other states out there. Oh, my goodness.

Brewer: I think we’ve said this before about our legislature, about our leadership in the state. We don’t understand. I think we take it for granted.

Leahy: Yeah, it’s really solid, nice people It’s really solid, nice people. You don’t always agree with them –

Brewer: It’s well-run.

Leahy: But here’s just how it works – if you want to be qualified for the ballot, here’s how the process works: You can pull out petitions to run on February 7th. You’ve got to get 25 signatures on it. Say you’re a Republican, they’ve got to be filed by April 7th.

If somebody out there who lives in the 5th Congressional District, the new one who thinks you’re not a Republican, they can file a challenge to your bona fides.

The minute that challenge is filed, you are not on the ballot. And the burden of proof is on the candidate to prove they’re qualified. Reports are that both Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck have been challenged. I talked to Scott Golden about it yesterday.

He said he hadn’t received [the challenges] yet, but they will be challenged. So the moment that happens, they’re off the ballot until they prove that they’re qualified for the ballot. Scott talks about that as the restoration opportunity, to be restored to the ballot. So, challenge filed, you’re off the ballot.

And then how do you get back on the ballot? Here’s the process and I’ll give you the timing on it. So, challenge filed. The state executive committee in this instance has a 13-member subcommittee that consists of Scott Golden and the state representatives from the members of the state committee from that district.

There are 13 people there. A majority of them have to vote in favor of you getting back on the ballot. So what are the standards? There are two standards. Standard A, you have to have voted in three of the four most recent statewide Republican primaries.

And by that standard, Robby Starbuck is clearly disqualified because he didn’t vote in the two most recent here in Tennessee when he was eligible to.

Morgan Ortagus might be based upon the fact that the state of New York didn’t have any statewide Republican primaries in 2014 and 2018. We are digging into that a little bit more. Might not.

You certainly could make that case when you want to get restored to the ballot. The other is you get Republicans to vouch for you. And this committee of 13, majority of them say, yes, we’re going to go for that.

I can tell you there’s a lot of resentment for carpetbaggers. A lot. Not only in the Tennessee General Assembly, but within the state executive committee.

Brewer: I think you can see that Senator Niceley’s bill is remarkable.

Leahy: We’ll get to that in a bit.

Brewer: Just the fact that it exists.

Leahy: The fact that it exists, and sailed through a state and local community. The state Senate is sending a message to every member of the state executive committee.

Brewer: It is. And I’ll say this: Both parties in the state executive committee committees tend to have a mind of their own.

Leahy: They do. So here’s the way the process works – and I talked to Scott about this yesterday. You got to file your petitions by April 7th.

Because they’ve got so many other races they have to adjudicate, the process is going to be every candidate who is challenged in the 5th congressional district will have until April 9th to file their case. To make their case.

Brewer: Which you have to presume, at a minimum, Morgan Ortagus has already compiled.

Leahy: Yes, they’ve got their case ready. The three-out-of-four, I think they’ll make an argument and I think they’ve got a reasonable chance there from what we’ve seen so far. But there may be some more information coming out about it.

Robby, definitely not. So then the other chance is you’ve got to be vouched for, and then between April 9th and April 21st, the drop-dead date, that committee meets.

Brewer: Who can vouch for you?

Leahy: A bona fide Republican in that district. So Donald Trump couldn’t vouch for Morgan Ortagus.

Brewer: But Donald Trump has won that district.

Leahy: He has. But he couldn’t vouch for her. He could call everyone.

Brewer: Could he not? He has served the people of that district as a Republican. Does he not have standing?

Leahy: He does not, to challenge.

Brewer: See why this is so fascinating?

Leahy: Or even vouch. But he’ll call them, in all likelihood. So on that standard right now, I’d say, Robby Starbuck is going to have a very difficult challenge,

Brewer: And I think Morgan Ortagus has a fighting chance.

Leahy: I think she’s got a chance on that standard. But when we come back, the other standard, the law that is about to be passed, I think, with imposing residency requirements.

Brewer: This is exciting.

Leahy: To me it is.

Brewer: We might be the only two people in the state other than the candidates who find it exciting. (Laughter)

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.