Tag: Rep. Tim Wirgau

Gas Tax-Supporting Tim Wirgau Goes Down to Defeat in State House District 75

Tennessee Star Staff
Tim Wirgau

Political newcomer Bruce Griffey defeated gas tax increase-supporting State Rep. Tim Wirgau in State House District 75 Republican primary Thursday night, 58 per cent to 42 percent. The final results, as reported by The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, were: Bruce I. Griffey 6,380 58.39% Tim Wirgau 4,547 41.61% Wirgau was not the only gas tax increase supporter to lose last night. State Rep. Barry “Boss” Doss (R-Leoma) was defeated by political newcomer Clay Doggett in State House District 70. As The Tennessee Star reported, Wirgau also voted in favor of granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens. In other notable primary races in the Tennessee General Assembly, Brandon Ogles won the State House District 61 Republican primary to replace retiring State Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin), defeating attorney Gino Bulso, who finished in second place. Jeff Ford took third place and conservative activist Rebecca Burke finished in fourth place. The final results, as reported by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office were: Candidate Votes % Brandon Ogles 3,913 35.45% Gino Bulso 2,685 24.33% Jeff Ford 1,876 17.00% Rebecca Ann Burke 1,604 14.53% Robert Hullett 709 6.42% Terrence A. Smith 250 2.27% Other primary winners included Dr. Brent Moody, who won the GOP…

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Tennessee House District 75: Bruce Griffey Challenge to Rep Tim Wirgau Has Become a House Race to Watch

Admin
Tim Wirgau, Bruce Griffey

While much of the focus during the Republican primary season has  been on the 18 House seats vacated by Republican legislators who are retiring or seeking other offices a handful of challenges to incumbents are attracting increasing attention. One of those races is in West Tennessee’s 75th District (covering Henry, Stewart and Benton counties) where incumbent Tim Wirgau is facing serious competition from Bruce Griffey. Wirgau has been in the Legislature since 2011 and chairs the House Local Government Committee.  Bruce Griffey is an attorney and Chairman of the Henry County Republican Party who lives in Paris, TN. Griffey has taken Wirgau to task for Wirgau’s vote in support of providing taxpayer funded in-state tuition for illegal aliens (2016 HB 675). Illegal immigration has topped the list of Republican voter concerns in Tennessee and opposition to providing in-state tuition to illegals has been extraordinarily high according to polls of likely Republican primary voters. A Tennessee Star poll conducted in December 2017 that focused on GOP Primary voters underlined how support for using taxpayer funds to subsidize tuition for illegal aliens may be harmful to Republican candidates facing primary opposition. Those polled were asked: In 2018, the Tennessee state legislature is expected…

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Is Push to Close Primaries Dead For the Year?

Jason M. Reynolds

The push to close primaries in Tennessee is dead for the year, a legislative source says. SB 0772 aims to require a voter to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary. That bill was assigned March 20 to the Senate’s General Subcommittee of the State and Local Government Committee. However, Pamela McCary, legislative assistant to State Rep. Tim Wirgau, said on March 21 that it has not been moved onto the calendar in the House, so that chamber cannot take action on it this year. Wirgau, R-Buchanan, is chairman of the Local Government Committee in the House. There has been a lot of “buzz” on the topic for some reason, despite the status in the House, she said. The House bill number is HB 0887. Also on March 21, the main sponsor of the House bill changed from Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, to Rep. Tilman Goins, R-Morristown. Williams is still a co-sponsor. State Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, is the Senate sponsor.

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OFF THE RECORD in Henry County

Chris Alto

  On May 25th, the Henry County GOP and Republican Women held a “Meet & Greet” reception for their state Senator John Stevens. Rep. Tim Wirgau who also represents Henry County, showed up to participate even though he had not been invited as a speaker. According to an attendee, both Stevens and Wirgau talked “pretty much in lock-step agreement on all issues discussed at this meeting.” Backing off of Boss Doss’ rebranded “Tax Cut Act of 2017” both Stevens and Wirgau talked extensively about the gas tax which they both supported, except now they were calling it Governor Haslam’s name for the tax increase – the “Improve Act of 2017”. Justifying their support for increasing taxes, both Wirgau and Stevens used what sounded like talking points provided to legislators that have to defend unpopular votes. Stevens started off by saying that, “”the voters should thank us for passing this bill!” He then went into great detail explaining how transiting big rigs will pay Tennessee fuel tax regardless of which state they refuel in because the International Federal Tax Agreement law which apportions fuel tax according to miles traveled in a specific state using specific states’ rates, will result in the big rigs paying 40% of…

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