Documentary filmmaker and conservative political pundit Robby Starbuck on Friday called for the replacement of Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee member and Republican National Committee (RNC) Committeeman Oscar Brock, who recently said he would stop supporting Republican incumbents due to disagreements over the federal government shutdown.
Starbuck made the comments in response to previously reporting by The Tennessee Star about Brock, who specifically stated in a post to social media, “I’m not going to support ANY member of Congress who runs for reelection next year.”
“He must be replaced,” wrote Starbuck in a post to X.
He must be replaced.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) November 7, 2025
The comments by Starbuck notably came in response to Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star, who said Brock’s comments represent a violation of the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, and called for his resignation.
Starbuck himself ran afoul of the party’s bylaws in 2022 when he sought to launch a campaign for the then newly redrawn 5th Congressional District as a Republican.
Having only recently relocated from California to Tennessee, Starbuck had not voted in enough Republican primary election contests to be considered a bona fide member of the party, and had his name eliminated from the ballot after appealing to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
The filmmaker and pundit appears to be the fourth prominent Tennessee Republican to call for Brock’s resignation.
State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), the Republican Caucus Chair in the Tennessee House, previously called for Brock to resign on Thursday.
“At a time when Democrats are openly backing a socialist like [Zohran] Mamdani, the last thing we need is a Republican publicly declaring that they will refuse to support our GOP nominees and elected officials,” said Faison. “If Oscar Brock cannot stand with the team and support our candidates, he should step aside until he decides where he truly belongs.”
Leahy stated earlier on Thursday, “Mr. Brock needs to either retract his statement, or resign from the executive committee of the Tennessee Republican Party.”
Similar comments were offered on Thursday by Aaron Gulbransen, a former reporter for The Star who now leads the Tennessee Conservative Coalition, who questioned whether Brock’s statement represented his resignation.
“Is that his official resignation letter?” Gulbransen questioned. “Oscar Brock has just publicly announced he is not going to do his job as National Committeeman, at the least. He is providing aid and comfort to Democrats who are going to be challenging all of these Republican congressmen.”
A source familiar with the situation additionally told The Star that the national Republican Party is aware of Brock’s comments, and “is not happy with what he is saying, and disapproves.”
The Tennessee Republican Party elects members of its executive committee during the August primary before a gubernatorial election, meaning Brock will next be up for reelection in August 2026. Tennessee Republicans select their RNC committeemen via secret ballots held before every presidential nominating convention. The next will be held in 2028.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Robby Starbuck” by Robby Starbuck.
