Jeffrey Fancher, one of the two Republicans vying to represent District 11 in Tennessee’s State House following State Representative Jeremy Faison’s (R-Cosby) decision to retire at the end of his current term, recently said he prefers teaching students who are in the country illegally.
The Republican candidate made the comments during his Monday appearance on the Charles Cook Podcast, stating, “I live by the philosophy, you know, don’t bother me, don’t bother you, and I’ve never had any issues with illegal immigrants.”
Fancher, who described himself as “a driver’s ed and leadership class teacher” at Cosby High School, told host Charles Cook that he would happily instruct “a whole school” where the student body consisted of illegal immigrants.
“At our school, we have a handful. I’d take a whole school full of those kids; they’re all polite, nice, clean, and they want to be helped,” said Fancher.
After commending President Donald Trump for his successful effort to seal the southern border, Fancher shared a mixed review of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants and secure the border, and suggested the federal government’s efforts are negatively impacting Tennessee schools.
“I am so proud of the president, how he’s cleaned up the border, and it seems like a lot of that stuff has been cleaned up as far as problems, but there’s still problems out there. You know, these ICE raids are very controversial, and when it takes one killer, one rapist off the street, job well done,” Fancher told Cook. “But it is taking a strain because we have got to provide, and I want to provide for those students, and I don’t know if they’re illegal or not.”
Fancher also appeared to break with Trump, Governor Bill Lee, and the Republican majorities in the Tennessee General Assembly on school choice, incorrectly suggesting that Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship program strips “$7,500 a pop” from public-school budgets for each student who receives a voucher.
He told Cook, “Being a school teacher, watching funding as tight as it is right now, thinking that if we start taking $7,500 a pop out of our school budgets and out of our teaching, running our schools, it’s going to be a deal where eventually they’re going to be shutting down the doors.”
Contrary to the candidate’s description, the scholarships are funded through separate state appropriations, rather than deducted from the budget of the public school or district a participating student leaves. The program also includes funding protections for qualifying school districts that experience enrollment losses.
While Fancher told Cook he encounters illegal aliens during the Driver’s Education and leadership classes he instructs at Cosby High School, illegal aliens have notably been prohibited from obtaining driver’s licenses in the Volunteer State since 2007.
Lawmakers have repeatedly strengthened this prohibition, including earlier this year, when Governor Bill Lee signed legislation requiring applicants for a driver’s license to provide citizenship information and pass an English proficiency exam to receive a renewable license. More laws passed last year, making out-of-state driver’s licenses issued specifically for illegal aliens considered invalid in Tennessee, and requiring lawful resident drivers to receive a visually distinct license compared to those granted to citizens.
Fancher also appeared to break with the dominant Republican position on the Electoral College, telling Cook that he would prefer to see each state award its Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote.
“I would be all for electoral college being, I don’t know if the word’s tweaked, I wouldn’t mind,” said Fancher. “Let it be the popular vote decides who’s going to win whatever race. I really do believe that, the pros of it, you know, one person, one vote.”
Should he be elected to the General Assembly, Fancher may find himself at odds with his Republican colleagues over more than just vouchers and immigration. Over the last two years, lawmakers considered a bill that would have given Tennessee school districts the authority to charge tuition or deny enrollment to students in the country illegally.
Earlier this year, the State House passed a version of the legislation that would have required districts to track anonymized metrics about the number of illegal aliens in Tennessee schools, though it did not pass the Senate.
Fancher would first have to defeat primary opponent Kenny Cody, another Tennessee educator, who last month received an endorsement from Trump.
“It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior, Kenny Cody, who is running to represent the fantastic people of Tennessee’s 11th State House District,” wrote the president. “A very successful School Teacher, Civic Leader, Conservative Journalist and Activist, Kenny has dedicated his life to serving his Community.”
While Democrats appear poised to nominate Sheila McMahan, Faison won the district in 2024 with over 84 percent of the vote against his Democratic challenger.
Watch Fancher’s full appearance on the Charles Cook Podcast:
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jeffrey Fancher” by Charles Cook Podcast.Â
