Michael Patrick Leahy, editor-in-chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star, vowed to help “lead the charge” to retire Tennessee State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) in response to the lawmaker’s vote against Governor Bill Lee’s proposed school voucher program.
Last week, state lawmakers on the K-12 Subcommittee voted 6-2 to pass the House version of the governor’s school voucher program, which would make Education Freedom Scholarships worth $7,000 available to students in every county of the state.
Warner joined Democrat State Representative Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville) in voting against the voucher program.
Leahy said on Thursday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report, “nothing would please me more than to lead the charge that would take Todd Warner and retire him from the Tennessee General Assembly, because that’s where he belongs.”
“He’s not going to get anything done at all; he’s just there to align with the Tennessee Marxists. That’s the reality of what he’s doing and he needs to be kicked out,” Leahy added.
In regards to the representative’s vote against the school choice program, Leahy said that “multiple sources” have come forward saying Warner was voting based on former political candidate and fringe theory lobbyist Gary Humble’s direct orders.
“Multiple sources tell me that he was in that committee meeting Gary Humble was texting him what to say and little puppet Todd Warner was repeating, reading his cell phone texts as he was questioning witnesses,” Leahy said.
Leahy went on to argue that if Warner had a legitimate concern regarding the school choice bill, he should have voiced his concerns, “compromise, and work it out.”
“If you are operating in good faith, what you do is you go detail by detail and you compromise and you work it out. You don’t try to blow up your party leader, the governor’s, main legislative agenda for no good reason other than that you hate the leadership,” Leahy said.
“If you live in Southern Williamson County or Marshall County, Chapel Hill we need to find a candidate that will actually be a true conservative to challenge Todd Warner in the primaries,” Leahy added. “He’s already identified himself as a fringe person in the Tennessee General Assembly. He’s not respected at all, and he has sidled up with the grifter pro-Marxist crowd.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “State Rep Todd Warner” by State Rep Todd Warner.
Why is it we are unable to know what is in the sausage until its on the shelf. Why are the ones paying for it are the last to be able use it Are we paying for illegal immigrants to participate in school choice that many citizens will not get to use. Why should those who disagree with a bill be vilified as a conspiracy theorist; sounds like the same attacks the leftist MSM uses. I think the final bill should be presented to the people before being voted on. One more thing, why is Bill Lee sounding less like the conservative candidate and more like the Washington swamp?
Add to this that Warner voted YES to give migrants who have no lawful immigration status, eligibility for state issue professional and commercial licenses. The unthinking Republicans like Warner who voted for this disastrous bill which Bill Lee did sign into law, means that these same folks who are otherwise deportable, can be teachers in the schools Warner wants to protect.
Many are skeptical of Warner’s sudden opposition to expanding school choice for TN students. If he has always been opposed to expanding school choice for TN students, why hasn’t he made that clear from day one of his campaign in the primary of 2020?
School Choice is Literally part of the Republican Party Platform … if Warner was against this then why didn’t he make how he differed from the Republican Party Platform clear when he ran for election?
p. 33
https://prod-static.gop.com/media/Resolution_Platform.pdf
Governor Lee campaigned in 2018 & 2022 on a platform that included expanding school choice for TN students. He won both elections with a Strong win.
If Warner was against this part of both the Republican Party Platform and the Governor Lee’s campaign promises, why didn’t he make his opposition clear from the start?
Has Warner ever spoken against expanding TN school choice via scholarships before last week’s committee meeting?
If he was for it until this past week, why the sudden change? Why the flip flop? Why didn’t he talk with those carrying and sponsoring the bill about his concerns?
What is his voting record, on the floor and in committee, on education issues? With the left/unions or for the students?
Very concerned that some Republicans are lining up with the left with an hollow, seemingly conservative talking points. So much sudden interest in supporting failing government run schools, protecting government institutions, rather than giving parents control and independence & Protecting TN Students.
During the committee hearing, Warner claimed he was hearing from a “constituent” … does Humble live in Warner’s district?
Is he still under FBI investigation in connection with Glen Casada and Cade Cothren? Didn’t he keep using Cothren even after Cothren’s fraud was discovered? Or did the FBI close Warner’s case and return the things they seized from him?
Word of advice… Don’t act like a Carpetbagger with this…