Tennessee Republican Party Set to Hold Hearing on Challenges to TN-5 Candidates’ Bona Fide Statuses

A select committee made up of members of the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee are making preparations to hold a hearing on several challenges that were made to GOP bona fide statuses of candidates in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District (TN-5).

The Tennessee Star previously reported that challenges had been received and verified by the TNGOP to the Republican bona fide statutes of Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, as well as Baxter Lee. David Vitalli had been challenged as well, but he decided to exit the race and did not turn in his qualifying petitions.

The qualifying petitions deadline in the race for the TN-5 seat, and other races, has come and gone. The deadline to turn in those qualifying petitions was on Thursday, April 7 at noon. TNGOP Chair Scott Golden previously told The Star that the party was not empowered to rule on the challenges until after the petitions deadline.

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office lists the petitions for Ortagus and Starbuck, along with Baxter Lee’s petitions as submitted and approved.

According to Chairman Golden’s previous comments, the committee in question is made up of 15 members of Tennessee GOP state executive committee (SEC), including Golden. The members of the select committee are SEC members who represent areas that make up the 5th Congressional District. TN-5 is made up of parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, as well as all of Maury, Marshall, and Lewis counties.

Golden had said earlier that any Republican Fifth Congressional candidate whose bona fides were challenged prior to the April 7 petition filing deadline would be considered off the GOP primary ballot unless and until they provide the SEC with evidence that they do indeed qualify as bona fide Republicans.

The decision whether or not to restore the challenged candidates to the ballot will be made by a vote of the committee. Challenged candidates are able to plead their case to restore their eligibility by providing a voting history document that shows that they voted in three out of four of the most recent statewide primary elections or they are vouched for as a bona fide Republican in writing by a party official. That is what will occur at the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee hearing.

The TNGOP bylaws state:

The challenge is made to the State Chairman from two or more registered voters from within the district that the candidate is running in. A statewide candidate could get challenged from any area of the state, while a congressional candidate could only be challenged from that congressional district. All the individuals making the challenge must “voted in at least three (3) of the last four (4) most recent Statewide Republican primary elections. Such a challenge must be made no later than five (5) days before the deadline for removal of a candidate’s name from a ballot under TCA Section 2-5-204 or otherwise, or any other applicable deadline.”

In addition to those challenged, the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office lists the TN-5 Republican primary qualifying petitions of former Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, General Kurt Winstead, state Senate aide Tres Wittum, Natisha Brooks, Stewart Parks, Geni Batchelor, and Timothy Bruce Lee as submitted and verified.

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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, and Parler.
Photo “Robby Starbuck” by Robby Starbuck. Photo “Baxter Lee” by Baxter Lee.