Tennessee Republicans Increase Share of Electorate as Trump Wins Popular Vote

Ogles and Blackburn

Tennessee Republicans largely increased or held their share of the vote compared to their performance in their past election, with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) seeing the largest increase of the vote share when contrasting her successful 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate to her successful 2024 reelection.

Blackburn in 2018 received 54.7 percent of the vote, but increased her share by nearly 9 percent in her race against State Representative Gloria Johnson, trouncing the Democrat 63.8 percent to 34.2 percent, according to estimates at press time.

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House Chairman Green Demands Answers on DHS, FBI Failure to Vet Alleged Afghan Terror Suspect

Mark Green

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green sent a letter Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, following a report from Just the News about the recent arrests of two Afghanistan nationals who were charged with planning an election day terror plot.

One of the suspects, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested by the FBI on Monday and charged with multiple crimes including conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to the Justice Department announcement.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Updated Disaster Declaration Submitted by Governor Bill Lee

Joe Biden TN

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for an updated major disaster declaration in the wake of flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

Lee initially requested federal assistance for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties following the flash flooding that devastated buildings and roads in East Tennessee on September 26 and September 27, which the president approved on Saturday.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Honor the ‘Scarboro 85’ on 69th Anniversary of Desegregation at Oak Ridge Public Schools

Classroom Students

The entire Tennessee congressional delegation sponsored a resolution this week celebrating the Scarboro 85 students from the Scarboro neighborhood in Oak Ridge. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, these students made history by entering all-white classrooms.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional.

In a second opinion issued on May 31, 1955, the Supreme Court decreed that schools should be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.”

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Biden-Harris Failed to Remove 90 Percent of Illegal Immigrants Under New ICE Program: Report

Illegal Immigrants

House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., shared his reaction to a report from the New York Post showing that the Biden-Harris administration has rarely removed illegal immigrants under a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program. 

The Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program was announced in in May 2023 and the administration has only removed around 2,600 illegal immigrants under the program arriving as family units while border patrol apprehended almost 850,000.

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Tennessee U.S. Reps. Vote to Condemn Vice President Kamala Harris’ Failed Duty as Border Czar

Kamala Harris

All eight Republican members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation serving in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to condemn the failure of the Biden administration and “border czar” Vice President Kamala Harris to secure the United States border.

The resolution, H.Res.1371, passed the House by a 220-196 vote. Six Democrats joined the majority vote.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Members React to U.S. Secret Service Director’s Resignation

Kimberly Cheatle

Eight members of the Tennessee congressional delegation reacted to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation on Tuesday, agreeing that her decision to step down was in the agency’s best interest.

Cheatle’s resignation came 10 days after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a single bullet in his upper right ear in what is formally being investigated as a failed assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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Alejandro Mayorkas Ordered to Provide Key Documents on Terror Threat from Border Crisis

Mayorkas Border Crisis

A top Republican lawmaker is ordering Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide key documents pertaining to illegal migrants encountered at the southern border who have potential ties to terrorism.

House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green issued the subpoena to Mayorkas on Friday, requiring him to hand over all “documents and communications” since Jan. 20, 2021, that could shed light on the matter. The chairman is accusing Mayorkas of slow-walking requests for information about the number of suspected terrorists illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a letter from Green.

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Incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Trounces TN-5 Challenger Courtney Johnston in Straw Poll at Davidson County Republican Party’s Annual Picnic Event

Rep. Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) was the resounding victor among attendees at the Davidson County Republican Party’s annual picnic event on Saturday who participated in a straw poll weighing candidates running in the August 1 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

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Report: The Biden Regime has Released 7.4 Million Migrants into the Country as Part of Catch and Release Program

Illegal Immigrants

Over seven million border crossers—including unvetted potential criminals, spies, terrorists and gang members—have been released into the country as part of the Biden Regime’s catch and release program, according to internal federal data obtained by Fox News. Another 1.9 million who snuck across the border between ports of entry are also loose in the country as Border Patrol agents have been pulled off the line to process “asylum seekers.”

The staggering numbers have prompted national security experts to warn that the threat of a terrorist attack in the coming months is at an all-time high, and have Republicans scrambling to tighten voting laws to prevent non-citizens from voting in the November elections.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Governor Lee’s Disaster Declaration

Tennessee Tornado Damage

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration due to severe storms that devastated communities across the Volunteer State last month.

On May 8 and May 9, several rounds of significant severe weather impacted 13 Tennessee counties, causing three fatalities and damage to 459 homes in Tennessee.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Leads Tennessee Colleagues in Demanding Answers from DHS After Illegal Alien Assaults Woman at the Nashville Sundae Club

DHS Sec Alejandro Mayorkas, Senator Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a letter signed by eight other members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers regarding the immigration status of a 23-year old illegal alien who allegedly followed a woman into a bathroom at the Nashville Sundae Club and groped her

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Disgraced Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Admits ‘I Own Everything I Did’ but Claims ‘Now is the Right Time’ to Reenter Politics

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry on Sunday explained her decision to reenter politics with a challenge to U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), asserting “now is the right time” for her foray into the public arena.

Barry resigned as Nashville mayor in 2018 after it was reported she financed an affair with her bodyguard using almost $175,000 in taxpayer money and used taxpayer resources and vehicles to facilitate the affair at the Nashville City Cemetery.

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‘We Have Been Sold Out’: Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Slams Passage of Minibus Spending Bill

Andy Ogles Speaking

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) slammed the passage of a “minibus” $1.2 trillion spending bill on Friday that would fund six of the 12 appropriations divisions for Fiscal Year 2024.

Moments before the House passed the bill by a 286-134 vote, Ogles, along with other members of the Freedom Caucus, held a press conference where he said the American people had been “sold out.”

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Commentary: We Must Protect Our Farmers

Farmer Working

Tennessee’s farmers and growers generate $89 billion annually in economic activity. Simply put, we rely on our farmers. And today, we honor them. Few Americans make more of a difference in the lives of others than farmers. From growing the food we cook to the cotton we use to make clothes, our farmers truly are the backbone of our economy.

My greatest privilege in Congress is to serve the hardworking people of Tennessee, especially farmers. Those who work hard to feed our families, those who tirelessly labor sun-up to sun-down, those who make possible the American dream; it is their selfless sacrifice to the soil that keeps our state growing.

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Congressman Mark Green Will Run for Re-Election at Urging of Former President Trump

Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green

Congressman Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced on Thursday that he has reconsidered his decision to retire from Congress and will now run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 election.

“While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider,” Green said in a statement released by his office to The Tennessee Star.

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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green Sends Letter to DHS Demanding Information Related to Murder of Georgia Medical Student

Mark Green DHS

Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding information to assist the committee in its investigation into the murder of 22-year old nursing student Laken Riley.

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Tennessee State Senator Bill Powers Passes on Bid for TN-07 U.S. House Seat

Bill Powers

Tennessee State Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) has announced he has “no plans” to run for Congress in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District amid the announcement of incumbent U.S. Representative Mark Green’s (R-TN-07) retirement.

“For me, family is more important than any congressional title in Washington DC. I’m honored to be your state senator and have no plans to run for congress,” Powers wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

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Dr. Omar Hamada Will Decide on Possible Bid for TN-07 U.S. House Seat ‘Sooner than Later’

Omar Hamada

Former chair of the Williamson County Republican Party, Dr. Omar Hamada, said he plans to decide on launching a bid for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District “sooner than later” following incumbent U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announcing his retirement.

Hamada, who said he spoke with  Green shortly after he announced his retirement, explained how he feels he is being “thrust” into the race in a way, adding, “I feel like the Lord is leading me in that direction.”

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Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden Assesses 7th Congressional District Race amid U.S. Rep. Mark Green’s Retirement

Scott Golden

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said he was surprised when Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his retirement from Congress.

Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, announced his retirement on Wednesday, just one day after leading the House in a historic vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Announces Retirement from Congress

Mark Green Retiring

U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) announced his retirement from Congress on Wednesday, just one day after leading the House in a historic vote to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Green, who served as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he is “ready to return home” after delivering on his promise to “pass legislation to secure our borders and to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable” by leading the passage of H.R. 2 and two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

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