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

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

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

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

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

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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Robby Starbuck Gave No Contributions to Donald Trump or Republicans Prior to Congressional Run

Records show that California native and candidate for TN-5 Robby Starbuck has given no financial contributions to President Trump or Republican candidates prior to his run for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district.

The Tennessee Star was able to verify that Starbuck gave $40 to WINRED on 10/15/20, $250 to the Williamson County GOP on 7/21/21, $500 to the Williamson County GOP on 2/3/2022, $100 to the Tennessee GOP on 2/28/2022, and an additional donation to the Davidson County GOP last month.

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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

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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Robby Starbuck Refuses to Answer Questions About His Tennessee Residency

Announced TN-5 Congressional candidate Robby Starbuck is refusing to provide documentary evidence to substantiate his claim that he meets a proposed three-year residency requirement to be eligible for the August 4, 2022 GOP primary ballot.

“I’ve already provided proof of my residency to The Tennessean and to world-renowned journalist John Soloman [sic].  I’m not taking away from my kid’s spring break after a year of our family campaigning to satisfy the long list of requests made by the Star,” Starbuck emailed in The Tennessee Star on March 14, 2022.

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Challenges Filed to Eligibility of TN-5 Candidates Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck to Be on GOP Primary Ballot

Sources have told The Tennessee Star that the Republican bona fide statuses of Republican primary candidates for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, have been challenged.

The Star reached out to Tennessee GOP Chair Scott Golden to confirm that challenges have been filed against Ortagus and Starbuck. Golden confirmed that challenges have been made to Republicans in the race but he did not specify which candidates had been challenged. He also did not deny that Ortagus and Starbuck have been challenged.

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Recent TN-5 Republican Primary Entrant Baxter Lee Voted in 2020 Democrat Presidential Primary

Baxter Lee

Records show that a recent entrant into the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat, businessman Baxter Lee, voted in the 2020 Democrat presidential primary. 

The Tennessee Star reached out to Baxter Lee to confirm the authenticity of the voting record supplied by the Williamson County Election Commission. Lee confirmed the records and issued a statement on his vote in the 2020 Democrat presidential primary.

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Robby Starbuck Admits He Never Voted in Tennessee 2020 GOP Primaries: ‘I Wasn’t a Full-Time Resident . . . I Was Still Closing Down My Business in California’

Candidate for U.S. Representative for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Robby Starbuck admits that he’s never voted in Tennessee Republican primaries.

Starbuck also acknowledges that he’ll need to be vouched for as a bona fide Republican as part of the Tennessee GOP’s candidate qualification process.

The political newcomer appeared on Nashville’s Morning News with Dan Mandis on 99.7WTN Thursday morning to discuss, among other things, the controversy surrounding his voter history. Starbuck had previously claimed more than once to have voted in two 2020 GOP primaries in Tennessee, but he recently started backing off that claim in a Facebook comment.

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Robby Starbuck Claims He Never Said That He Voted in Tennessee GOP Primaries, Says He Misunderstood Question

Candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District Robby Starbuck appears to be backing off his claims about his voter history, writing on social media that he never said he voted in 2020 and that he misunderstood the question.

More than once, Robby Starbuck claimed to have voted in the August 2020 primary as well as the March presidential primary in 2020. Voting in Republican primaries is a component of the process for qualifying for the 2022 August primary ballot.

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President Trump Reiterates Support for Ortagus, Says He Didn’t Know Starbuck but Heard ‘He Voted for Obama’

President Donald J. Trump says he stands by his offered endorsement of Morgan Ortagus and that he didn’t know Robby Starbuck but heard that he voted for Obama.

President Donald J. Trump appeared on the Newsmax program Rob Schmitt Tonight on Tuesday. He was asked about the blowback his offered endorsement of potential candidate and former Trump Administration State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus received.

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Despite Robby Starbuck’s Claims, Wilson County Republican Chair Says Starbuck Didn’t Send Him Anything About His Voting Record

Doubt continues to be cast on Robby Starbuck’s claims about his Republican primary voting record.

On multiple occasions, Starbuck claimed that he voted in the August of 2020 and March of 2020 Tennessee Republican primaries. Records provided by Williamson County election officials, where he lives and is registered to vote, contradict those claims.

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Letter to the Editor: Robby Starbuck Misunderstands Tennessee Political Candidate Bylaws

Robby Starbuck is quoted as saying, “Party chairs in Davidson & Williamson have had my voter history from CA and TN for a long time. They’ve had zero issue with it. It’s been sent to the Wilson County GOP chair recently too. I called Williamson County GOP Chair Cheryl Brown last night to confirm that there’s no issue again. Cheryl confirmed again to me that there’s no issue with my eligibility.”

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Voting History Claims Made by Starbuck Not Confirmed by Williamson County GOP Chair

Robby Starbuck, a candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District’s claims about his voting history were not confirmed by the Williamson County Republican Chair.

Robby Starbuck previously claimed that he voted in August of 2020 and March of 2020 Tennessee Republican primaries when records provided by Williamson County election officials showed that he did not vote in either. In statements provided to The Tennessee Star, Starbuck referenced conversations with Williamson County GOP Chair, Cheryl Brown, to support his claims.

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TN-5 Congressional Candidate Robby Starbuck Posts Profanity-Laced Video After The Tennessee Star Questioned Him About His Primary Voting Record

Less than 24 hours after The Tennessee Star asked TN-5 Congressional candidate Robby Starbuck to address questions about his voting record raised by documents obtained from Williamson County election officials, Starbuck released a video taken from a scene from The Wolf of Wall Street where the criminal defends himself before his employees.

In his version, Starbuck superimposed his own face on the face of Jordan Belfort, played Leonardo DiCaprio, using the audio from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. In 1999, Belfort pled guilt to fraud and other crimes in connection to stock market manipulation and a penny stock scam. He spent 22 months in prison as part of a plea agreement where he testified against partners and subordinates. The Wolf of Wall Street also depicted numerous incidents of drug use, sex, and an instance where a male high on drugs sexually gratified himself.

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Records Show Robby Starbuck Has Never Voted in a Tennessee GOP Primary, Making TN-5 Candidate Vulnerable to Ballot Challenge

Robby Starbuck, who formally declared his run for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District in June 2021, just two years after moving to Tennessee from California, told The Tennessee Star on Saturday “I don’t feel it’s necessary” to explain why he claimed in a January 21 radio interview with The Tennessee Star Report that he voted in two Tennessee GOP primaries in 2020, when voting records provided to The Tennessee Star by Williamson County officials show that he did not vote in either 2020 Tennessee GOP primary.

Tennessee Republican Party bylaws require active Republicans to have either (1) voted in three of the last four GOP primaries or (2) to have their “bona fide” status vouched for by Republicans in the district they seek to represent and then approved in a majority vote by a specially assembled committee of the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee in order qualify to be on the August 2022 GOP primary ballot.

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Conservatives Stunned: Trump Endorses Ruth Bader Ginsburg Fan Ortagus for TN-5 Seat

At 8:11 p.m. East Coast time, Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump sent out an email to the millions of his supporters on his list announcing that if she decides to run he will endorse Morgan Ortagus for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District – and the conservative backlash was quick and negative.

“Ortagus and Bill Gates” by Morgan Ortagus/Instagram

“I am told that very strong and impressive Morgan Ortagus is exploring a run from Congress in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. I couldn’t be happier because she’s an absolute warrior for America First and MAGA!” said the president, who went on to mention her work as a press secretary for then-Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and her service as a Navy Reserve officer.

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Stand for Tennessee PAC Fundraising Kick-Off Features Conservative Political Office Holders and Candidates

THOMPSON’S STATION, Tennessee — The kick-off fundraising event for the Stand for Tennessee Political Action Committee (PAC), held Tuesday evening at the Homestead Manor in Thompson’s Station, featured constitutional conservative political office holders and candidates.

Chairman of the PAC, Gary Humble told The Tennessee Star that approximately 325 people attended the event, which included a taco bar dinner, dessert and refreshments as well as live entertainment by Ben Calhoun.

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Clay Travis, John Rich, Robby Starbuck, and Others Urge Williamson County Residents to Resist Woke Public School Ideologies

FRANKLIN, Tennessee – Clay Travis, John Rich, and other well-known speakers highlighted an event Tuesday where organizers urged Williamson County residents to take on woke ideologies in the public school system. Members of Williamson Families, a Political Action Committee (PAC), also pressed the several hundred audience members to stand up to — and even run against — school board members who neglect their constituents’ most basic concerns.

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