Tag: Morgan Ortagus

Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee Tightens Qualifications for Candidate Eligibility in GOP Primaries

Michael Patrick Leahy

The Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee voted in a specially called meeting on Saturday to tighten the standards for candidate eligibility in GOP primaries in the state, effective immediately.

Article IX, Section 1, Paragraph B of the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) bylaws had been previously amended in a September 7, 2023 meeting of the SEC  to state that “Beginning in 2026, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Article IX, Section 1A, an individual who has voted in any of the most recent four (4) statewide primary elections held by a party other than the applicable Republican Party will be ineligible to seek the Republican nomination for any public office in Tennessee.” (emphasis added)

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Democrat Judge Favors Carpetbagger Starbuck, Denies Carpetbagger Ortagus’ Request to Be Placed on TN-5 Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

Elected Democrat Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins, who ordered Robby Starbuck to be placed on the TN-5 Republican primary ballot, denied disqualified candidate and fellow carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus’ motion to be enjoined to his order and be placed on the ballot.

According to court documents, Ortagus filed a motion to be enjoined to Starbuck’s ruling on Tuesday. Her request was promptly denied by Judge Perkins on the same day.

Perkins cited two reasons for his denial. “First, the motion is not accompanied by a ‘verified complaint, affidavit, or other evidence that the movant’s [Ortagus’] rights are being or will be violated,'” he wrote.

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Disqualified Candidate Morgan Ortagus Backs Winstead for TN-5, Joins Campaign National Security Advisory Committee

Aaron Gulbransen

General Kurt Winstead’s campaign for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat announced that disqualified TN-5 candidate Morgan Ortagus joined his newly formed national security advisory committee as a co-chair.

Ortagus’ bio in the campaign statement says, “Morgan Ortagus, a U.S. Navy Reserve officer and former Spokesperson for the United States Department of State during President Trump’s Administration. She was instrumental in promoting the Abraham Accords and most recently launched Polaris National Security, a group focused on restoring international strength and respect for America.”

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Ortagus Moves On from TN-5 Race and Announces Involvement in Polaris National Security

Aaron Gulbransen

Morgan Ortagus, a disqualified candidate in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, announced to German-owned Politico her participation in an organization called Polaris National Security.

Politico reported, “Morgan Ortagus, the State Department’s chief spokesperson during the Trump administration, has launched a new group called Polaris National Security. The organization, chock-full of former Trump administration and campaign aides on staff and other Republicans on the advisory team, will have a 501(c)(4) and PAC arm.”

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Misleading Claims Promoted About Disqualification of Ortagus and Starbuck from TN-5 Race

Aaron Gulbransen

The aftermath of the Tennessee Republican Party’s removal of Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee from the TN-5 ballot has seen several news outlets, social media influencers, national political figures, and affected candidates have make misinformed claims.

CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Star News Digital Media Michael Patrick Leahy, which owns and operates The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network, provided a full step-by-step breakdown of what really happened that led to Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee’s disqualification from the TN-5 race.

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Disqualified TN-5 Candidate Starbuck Asks Supporters to Tell the TNGOP to Do What Is No Longer Under Its Authority

Aaron Gulbransen

Disqualified TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck is posting frequent calls on social media urging supporters to contact the Tennessee GOP (TNGOP) and demand that the State Executive Committee (SEC) vote to reverse its decision disqualifying him from seeking the Republican nomination.

There’s just one problem: The Tennessee Republican Party is not empowered to put Starbuck back on the ballot and couldn’t reverse its decision even if it wanted to.

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Sean Hannity Got Facts Completely Wrong in Radio Monologue on TNGOP Disqualification of Morgan Ortagus

Aaron Gulbransen

Sean Hannity got the facts completely wrong in a monologue he gave on the Monday, April 25 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program on the Tennessee Republican Party’s action disqualifying carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus from the Tennessee 5th Congressional District August 4 Republican Primary race.

On his radio show, Hannity accused the TNGOP of “actually being willing to change the rules in the middle of the game.”

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Morgan Ortagus Says She’s ‘Not Really Sure’ Why She Was Disqualified from TN-5 Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

Morgan Ortagus, a former candidate for the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, told a Fox News host on Monday morning that she didn’t know why she was disqualified from the ballot.

“You know, I’m not really sure, Brian,” Ortagus responded to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade when he asked her, “You’re not going to have a chance to run for the Republican nomination in Tennessee as a congresswoman. You got booted off the ballot, why?”

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Carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus Alleges Tennessee Republican Party Corruption to Entire Country on Fox News but Offers No Evidence

Aaron Gulbransen

Former TN-5 candidate Morgan Ortagus told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Monday morning that the Tennessee Republican Party is corrupt but offered no evidence to corroborate her claims.

Ortagus told Kilmeade at the close of an interview, “We’re going to work on efforts to clean up the corruption here in the Tennessee GOP as well.”

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The Real Story of How the Tennessee GOP Followed the Party’s Bylaws to Disqualify Three Candidates from the TN-5 Primary Ballot

Michael Patrick Leahy

Many national and local news outlets have reported inaccurately about the process by which the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) disqualified three candidates from the August 4, 2022 GOP primary ballot in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on April 19, 2022.

In the immediate aftermath of this decision made by the TRP in accordance with its bylaws and the laws of Tennessee, Robby Starbuck (legal name Robert Starbuck Newsom), one of the three disqualified candidates, delivered a series of press interviews and social media statements in which he made false claims about the integrity of the TRP’s process in handling his disqualification.

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TN-5 GOP Primary Candidate Tres Wittum Blasts Lindsey Graham’s Response to Removal of Ortagus and Starbuck from Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

In a statement, state Senate aide and TN-5 GOP primary candidate Tres Wittum blasted U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s response to the removal of carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck from the ballot.

The statement said, “On Thursday morning Tres Wittum took to Twitter to address the ongoing controversy with the Tennessee GOP Executive Committee’s decision over GOP ‘bonafide’ credentials to run as a Republican candidate on the 2022 ballot. On Wednesday, South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham had tweeted what Wittum calls ‘overreaching and offensive speech’ towards the Volunteer state.

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Gov. Bill Lee Unable to Explain Why He Criticizes Removal of Morgan Ortagus from GOP Primary Ballot but Supports Removal of His Two Gubernatorial Rivals

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Governor Bill Lee could not explain why he believes Morgan Ortagus should be on the Tennessee 5th Congressional District Republican primary ballot when his Republican primary opponents’ were reportedly about to be disqualified from the ballot during a joint press conference held with U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN)after a law enforcement roundtable on border security Wednesday afternoon.
Hagerty and Lee briefly opened with statements on border security and the roundtable discussion that was held before they took questions. Lee was asked several questions about pending legislation before the Tennessee General Assembly before he was asked about Ortagus’ disqualification from the Republican primary.

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It’s Official: Carpbetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck Are Off the Tennessee 5th Congressional District GOP Primary Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

Scott Golden, the chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, submitted a letter on Wednesday morning in accordance with party bylaws and the state code to Mark Goins, the coordinator of elections for the state of Tennessee, officially notifying him that disqualified Tennessee 5th Congressional District candidates Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee are removed “completely from the Republican August primary ballot.”

The letter included a notification of the full list of candidates in a variety of races that the TNGOP voted to restore to the ballot, as well as the full list of candidates, in accordance with state law, that the party voted to remove completely.

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TNGOP Chair: Committee Voted to Disqualify Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee from TN-5 GOP Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

TNGOP Scott Golden has confirmed to The Tennessee Star that as of Tuesday evening, Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and Baxter Lee, and are no longer candidates for the TN-5 GOP nomination due to a vote by a select committee of the Tennessee Republican party.

The select committee voted not to restore Robby Starbuck, Morgan Ortagus, and Baxter Lee to the ballot after they were previously removed because of verified challenges to their bona fide status.

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78 Percent of Campaign Contributions to Carpetbagger TN-5 Candidate Morgan Ortagus Are Out-of-State

Aaron Gulbransen

The 2022 FEC first quarter report filed by announced TN-5 Congressional candidate Morgan Ortagus on April 15 shows that 78 percent of her campaign donations come from out-of-state sources.

Of the $591,418 in receipts reported by the Ortagus campaign in the FEC first quarter reporting period covers the time period of January 1 through March 31, only $126,477, or 22 percent, came from itemized individual contributions made by Tennessee residents. The average contribution made by the 84 Tennessee residents who donated to the Ortagus campaign was $1,505.

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Silicon Valley Billionaire Larry Ellison Donated the $1 Million That Funds SuperPAC Backing TN-5 Carpetbagger Candidate Morgan Ortagus

Aaron Gulbransen

Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, the executive chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle, donated $1 million on March 21 to the recently-formed SuperPAC supporting TN-5 carpetbagger candidate Morgan Ortagus, according to Federal Election Commission records obtained by The Tennessee Star on Friday.

That SuperPAC, the Tennessee Conservatives PAC, has already begun running a $100,000 radio ad buy in the district in support of Ortagus.

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Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office Provides Partial Clarification on Applicability of Law to Carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, but Leaves Out Key State Code

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office provided partial clarification on the applicability of the newly enacted three-year residency law to carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, but left out a reference to a key part of state code.

The Tennessee Star previously reported that mere hours after the enactment of the new three-year residency law for federal candidates in primaries, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office offered conflicting comments about whether he intends to enforce the new law and remove “carpetbagger” candidates from the August 4 Republican primary ballot.

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TN Secretary of State Offers Conflicting Comments on Whether He Will Enforce Residency Law and Remove Carpetbaggers from the TN-5 Ballot

Aaron Gulbransen

Within hours of the enactment of a new law on Wednesday that requires candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee to be residents of the state for three years prior to their placement on a primary ballot, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office offered conflicting comments about whether he intends to enforce the new law and remove “carpetbagger” candidates from the August 4 Republican primary ballot.

Reaction from Tennessee state legislators to the comments from the Secretary of State’s office  were swift and pointed.

Sources tell The Tennessee Star that if the Tennessee Secretary of State refuses to enforce the newly enacted law and remove any candidate from the ballot for the U.S. House who fails to meet the three-year residency requirement he will be sued to require him to enforce the law.

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Morgan Ortagus Campaign Announces She Raised ‘Nearly $600,000’ in First Quarter, But Refuses to Say How Much Was Out-of-State

Aaron Gulbransen

Candidate for TN-5, Morgan Ortagus’ campaign refuses to answer questions about the nature and source of her campaign fundraising.

In a statement, Morgan Ortagus announced on Monday, April 11 that her campaign raised nearly $600,000 for the January 1 – March 31, 2022 FEC first quarter reporting. Ortagus’ campaign says that records will show the campaign ending the FEC first quarter with over $550,000 cash on hand.

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Sources: Andy Ogles Will Focus on TN-5 Congressional Bid and Not Run for Re-election as Maury County Mayor

Aaron Gulbransen

Sources close to Andy Ogles tell The Tennessee Star that he will announce later this week that he will focus on his bid for the TN-5 GOP nomination and will withdraw as a candidate for re-election as mayor of Maury County.

First elected mayor in 2018, Ogles is currently the GOP nominee for Maury County mayor in the Aug 4 county general election, which is scheduled to be held on the same day and in the same Maury County polling locations as the TN-5 GOP primary election.

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Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, Baxter Lee Removed from the TN-5 GOP Primary Ballot – for Now

Aaron Gulbransen

On Saturday, April 9, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden briefed the TNGOP State Executive Committee on the challenge process, explaining that the challenges would be adjudicated before noon on April 21.

Prior to the start of the meeting, there was some confusion, as sources expected the TNGOP to take action on the challenges at Saturday’s meeting.

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Dark Money Carpetbagger PAC Spends $100,000 on Radio Supporting Morgan Ortagus in TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

A new dark money super PAC spent $100,000 in radio ads on Wednesday in support of carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district seat, according to Federal Election Commission records released on Friday.

The PAC’s name is Tennessee Conservatives PAC and the expenditure was made on April 6. Saturation-level radio ads – at least 20 spots per day – began running on Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC in Nashville and 99.7 WTN in Nashville beginning on Wednesday.

The PAC, which was organized on February 22, 2022 according to FEC records, has yet to release its funding sources. The group’s report for the period ending March 31 will not be made filed with the FEC until April 15. It is common practice for dark money PACs to hide their sources of funding until the latest possible date.

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

Aaron Gulbransen

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 carpetbaggers 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.

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Dominates in Wilson County GOP TN-5 Straw Poll Results

Aaron Gulbransen

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles dominated in a straw poll held by the Wilson County GOP, the first test of grassroots strength in the contest for the Republican nomination in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

The straw poll was conducted at the conclusion of the candidate forum hosted by the Wilson County GOP. The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy served as the master of ceremonies. The people of Wilson County packed the room and showed tremendous excitement for the upcoming elections.

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Morgan Ortagus Supporters File Federal Lawsuit Challenging General Assembly-Approved Three-Year Residency Requirement

Aaron Gulbransen

Three Morgan Ortagus supporters filed a federal lawsuit late Thursday challenging the General Assembly-passed legislation that institutes a three-year residency requirement for federal candidates in primaries.

The state of Tennessee and Secretary of State Trey Hargett, in his official capacity, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

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Report: New Dark Money Group with Possible Connections to Morgan Ortagus Targeting Tennessee Residency Legislation

Aaron Gulbransen

Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News and MSNBC is reporting that a well-funded new super PAC named Tennessee Conservative PAC says they intend to file a lawsuit challenging the General Assembly-passed three-year residency requirement legislation for candidates in federal primaries.

The legislation has yet to be transmitted to Governor Lee for his signature.

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Records Indicate Carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus Now Resides in the 5th Congressional District

Aaron Gulbransen

Records show that Tennessee newcomer and D.C. insider Morgan Ortagus has finally moved into the boundaries of Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district, a district she seeks to represent in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Tennessee Star previously reported on February 9 that Ortagus did not live in the district. Her voter registration record showed that the address she registered to vote from was not located within the Tennessee Fifth Congressional district lines.

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Tennessee Republican Party Has Received and Verified Eligibility Challenges to TN-5 Candidates Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, David Vitalli, and Baxter Lee

Aaron Gulbransen
Baxter Lee and Morgan Ortagus

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden has confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the state party has received and verified challenges to the Republican bona fide status and ballot eligibility of TN-5 carpetbagger candidates Morgan Ortagus, Robby Starbuck, and David Vitalli.

Baxter Lee’s status has also been challenged, likely due to his vote in the 2020 Democrat presidential preference primary.

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TN-5 Carpetbagger Candidate Morgan Ortagus to GOP-Controlled Tennessee General Assembly: Drop Dead!

Aaron Gulbransen

In an op-ed published in the Left Wing Gannett-Owned Tennessean, TN-5 Carpetbagger Candidate Morgan Ortagus effectively told the GOP-Controlled Tennessee General Assembly to drop dead. She advocated against pending Tennessee General Assembly legislation that would establish a three-year residency requirement for candidates who seek to be on the ballot in primaries for the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

The op-ed is titled “Morgan Ortagus: Tennessee voters should have the ultimate say on who represents them.” In the piece, Ortagus advocates  The House version of the legislation is scheduled for a floor vote on Monday.

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Carpetbagger TN-5 Candidate Morgan Ortagus Endorses Candidate in Oklahoma Senate Race

Aaron Gulbransen
Alex Gray and Morgan Ortagus

In an unusual move, carpetbagger and current candidate in Tennessee’s Republican primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district Morgan Ortagus, has chosen to endorse a candidate in the Oklahoma U.S. Senate race.

In a tweet, Ortagus endorsed former Trump administration national security official Alex Gray for the retiring U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe’s seat, saying “I am eager to join my friends and Trump Admin colleagues @RichardGrenell and @robertcobrien in endorsing Alex Gray for U.S. Senate! Just as he did in the White House, Alex will work every day to put America First.”

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