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 guiding the House through the immediate post-Casada era may expose them to hidden land mines and unexpected harm,” Gill added. “It’s a bit like following a coaching legend. The next head coach may be a better job than stepping in as the first replacement.”
“With Representatives David Byrd and Rick Staples still out there as targets for the media, plus other scandals not yet revealed, the political bloodletting is hardly at an end and the next Speaker will be tainted by whatever happens next, regardless of how they handle things,” Gill said.
When Casada announced last month that he would vacate the leadership post, he did not indicate whether he would continue to serve as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing parts of Williamson County, The Star said at the time.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said that the announcement was “the right decision for the legislature, the Republican Party and the state,” The Star reported.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
