Tag: State Rep. Andy Holt

State Rep. Andy Holt Commentary: Conservatives Need to Reject the Fake News and Unite Behind Bill Lee

Tennessee Star Staff
Andy Holt, Bill Lee

by State Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden)   With just a little more than a week left in this election, the polling is clear: Bill Lee is leading Randy Boyd and Diane Black. It’s why they are both spending millions to attack him. And I can’t help but shake this feeling of déjà vu that we have been here before. Over the next 10 days, we’ll see the worst of politics. We’ll see what we saw in 2016: An outsider threatening the traditional power structure of the PACs and lobbyists, and that very same power structure doing everything they can to attack Bill’s business and take his words out of context to frame him as something he’s not. When you see the attack ads from the politicians in this race, remember, this isn’t a new strategy, it’s the exact same playbook they launched on President Trump. And it’s coming from the same insiders that attacked our President and continue to undermine him. For years, too many voters have bought into a system that elects people not based on results, but based on words. We’ve seen our members of Congress vote to raise the debt ceiling and fund Planned Parenthood, then tell…

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Tennessee Star Poll: 57 Percent of GOP Primary Voters Support Constitutional Carry

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

A significant majority of likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee support constitutional carry, according to results of The Tennessee Star Poll released this week. When asked, “In 2018, the Tennessee General Assembly is also expected to reconsider a bill that would allow Tennesseans to carry firearms without obtaining a state issued permit, which is commonly known as ‘Constitutional Carry.’ Do you support or oppose Constitutional Carry in Tennessee? ” 57 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they favored it, while only 32 percent said they opposed it: 38.5% strongly support 19.1% somewhat support  11.9% somewhat oppose  20.8% strongly oppose  9.8% Don’t know/unsure The poll of 1,007 likely Republican primary voters was conducted by Triton Polling and Research in an automated (IVR) telephone survey between May 31 and June 5 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percent. “Based on my experience talking to people and explaining constitutional carry, I think 57 percent understates the support for constitutional carry in Tennessee,” John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, tells The Tennessee Star. “This is because people think constitutional carry will eliminate the possibility to get handgun permits for reciprocity purposes in other states,” he adds. “Even with…

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House Republican Conservatives Put Up a Valiant Fight Against Gov. Haslam’s Gas Tax Increase, Setting Stage for 2018 Election

Laura Baigert

  When the Tennessee House of Representatives passed Governor Haslam’s gas tax increase bill by a 60 to 37 margin on Wednesday, a bare majority of Republicans–37 for and 35 against—voted yes in favor of the unpopular tax increase. The 35 conservative Republicans who stood for the foundational principle of limited government were not sufficient to withstand the huge financial and political pressures mounted by the special interests who wanted the bill to pass. Those forces arrayed against the conservative opposition were significant, beginning with Governor Haslam’s taxpayer funded statewide tour that promoted a 962 road project list in all 95 counties, the support of lobbying groups numbering in the thirties, tax reductions for a select group of businesses, and a reported $250 million taxpayer funded deal for the Democrats. These conservatives lost the battle in 2017, but the war for the Tennessee General Assembly election in 2018 has just begun. The arguments made by these 35 stalwarts on the floor of the House on Wednesday will resonate throughout the state over the next year and a half. The process through the House subcommittees and committees was not without controversy including the make up of the Transportation Committee, procedural issues, breaking…

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Tennessee Republican Assembly Honors State Rep. Andy Holt with First Annual Gold Star Award

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee–The Tennessee Republican Assembly honored State Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden) with the presentation of its first annual Gold Star “Principles Over Politics” Award at its meeting in Nashville on Saturday. TRA President Sharon Ford presented Holt with the award, in recognition of his long standing championship of conservative principles in the Tennessee General Assembly. “Andy Holt first went to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a legislator,” Ford said. “He has become a statesman.” Ford said that Holt had been singled out for calling for a stop to tax payers paying for the lavish lifestyles of state legislators. “Did you know your taxpayer dollars are being used to host fancy parties with open bars, live entertainment, and all you can eat shrimp, steak and other fine eats? Of course, you’re not invited- even though it’s your money… Ruling class only. The culture of elitism is about to come to an end!” the TRA website says of the practice. First elected in 2010, Holt has become known for his inerrant defense of conservative principles and his uncanny ability to generate publicity for his cause. This personal characteristic, Ford noted, that was not unlike President Donald Trump. State Senator Mae…

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FAKE NEWS: State Rep. Andy Holt Declares NewsChannel 5’s Traffic Camera Citation ‘Investigation’ of Him a Sham

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

  Tennessee State Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden) fired back at so-called “fake news” regarding a report by News Channel 5’s Ben Hall. In a statement, Representative Holt shot down the local reporter’s implication that Holt – a notorious and outspoken opponent of automatically operated “red light cameras” by third-party vendors as a revenue generator for the state – somehow hid his record of unpaid traffic citations. Hall’s report is literally the definition of fake news. There’s a very simple reason I refused to talk to Mr. Hall about my traffic camera tickets. He’s a known peddler of fake, biased news. It’s actually funny that he fell right into the trap by writing a misleading headline and creating a fake story because I wouldn’t talk to him. The truth is, I’m more than happy to talk about my unpaid traffic camera citations, and I have been very public about that. I welcome any real journalist to come in my office, sit down with me, and report on the real story. Instead, Representative Holt said Hall’s story was a massive missed opportunity for the journalist to expose a very serious and corrupt operation. Mr. Hall really dropped the ball here. He let his…

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State Rep Andy Holt Skewers pro-Gax Tax Hike Republicans in Blistering Facebook Rant

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Tennessee Star - Rep. Andy Holt

Wednesday afternoon, State Representative Andy Holt let loose with a blistering rant against the House Transportation Committee’s arcane maneuvers to pass Gov Bill Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, going so far as to include a photo of a bag of thirty pieces of silver. Via Facebook: Well everyone, The Governor’s gas tax just passed out of the House Transportation Sub-Committee. That’s what you expected from the “fiscally conservative” super-majority controlled republican House of Representatives here in Tennessee, right? So. Gross. If allowed to pass, your taxes are about to go up by HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars in Tennessee — literally!! You all need to know something. You need to know the truth. You deserve the truth. The “media” will likely tell you that the tax was “stripped out of the bill”. That’s not true, and they know it isn’t… This episode of political theater was a well orchestrated display. The bill will soon be returned to its original form so they can add back all the taxes, and possibly more… Worst part of all? The “media” has been told by countless people what’s going on behind the scenes. They’ve literally been shown proof of corruption, lies, and quid pro quo, but…

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State Rep. Andy Holt Supports the Hawk Plan, Opposes Haslam Gas Tax Increase

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star - Rep. Andy Holt

State Rep. Andy Holt “told a group of local citizens Saturday that Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposed gasoline tax increase is unnecessary and ill-timed and that there are better ways to fund road improvements,” the Post-Intelligencer reports. “Holt argued against the Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy or IMPROVE Act, introduced last month by Haslam,” according to the Post-Intelligencer. “I’m going to get a higher fuel tax and higher increase in goods and services, and a very small decrease in my groceries,” Holt, a Dresden resident, told the crowd, adding: If you extrapolate all the projects that have been approved by the legislature, and you factor in a highly increased amount of construction costs, and you put that out over a thirty-year period, and you then extrapolate what all those cost increases will be over time, then you can get to eleven billion dollars,” he said. We’re rated consistently as having the second-, third- or fourth-best road system in the United States of America . . . I think that’s a far cry from a crippling catastrophe that is looming within the next couple of weeks.” We’re in a surplus environment this year. That doesn’t mean we…

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