Robby Starbuck’s legal team filed the required response on Thursday morning with the State Supreme Court to the state of Tennessee’s petition filing which seeks to have Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Perkins’ order adding him to the ballot overturned.
Starbuck had until 10am to file the response, per the order of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
TN-5 Republican primary candidate and retired Tennessee National Guard General Kurt Winstead’s campaign announced that he will be visiting the U.S. southern border on Sunday and Monday in order to view the problems himself.
“Illegal immigration is one of the biggest problems facing our country. We must act immediately to find solve this crisis. This is a national security issue and it is directly threatening the safety and security of Americans,” said General Winstead in an emailed statement.
Read the full story
Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) Chairman Scott Golden exclusively told The Tennessee Star on Saturday morning, that the TRP will be filing an appeal of Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins’ ruling ordering Robby Starbuck on the ballot on Monday.
“We’re disappointed with the judge’s ruling, obviously, and we’ll be filing an appeal on Monday,” said Golden.
Read the full story
The liberal labor union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205 endorsed State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat. Campbell is the only Democrat running for the seat.
The SEIU has a history of endorsing Democratic candidates.
Read the full story
In an exclusive announcement provided to The Tennessee Star, the Pro-Life Susan B. Anthony List’s candidate fund political action committee endorsed former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell, in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
“Beth Harwell is a faithful champion of the unborn who proves that pro-life is truly pro-woman,” said Hon. Marilyn Musgrave, SBA List’s vice president of government affairs.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA) endorsed former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Harwell’s campaign, in an exclusive statement provided to The Tennessee Star on Tuesday, announced the TPFFA endorsement.
Read the full story
Disqualified TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Republican Party and its state executive committee in Davidson County Chancery Court on Friday, May 20.
The official case name is Robert Newsom v. Tennessee Republican Party, et al and Davidson Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins is presiding.
Read the full story
Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat on Monday.
AFP Action said they endorsed Ogles because “of his track record supporting local, state, and federal policies that promote economic freedom and create opportunities that improve the lives of Tennesseans.”
Read the full story
Several candidates in the Tennessee 5th Congressional District GOP primary have announced their public opposition to the recently approved aid package to Ukraine.
In addition to former Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, candidates General Kurt Winstead, Jeff Beierlein, and Tres Wittum have come out against the $40 billion Ukraine aid package.
Read the full story
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.”
Read the full story
The conservative House Freedom Fund endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
In a statement, the organization said, “We’re also proud to announce our support for Andy Ogles (R-TN) for Congress in Tennessee’s 5th District.”
Read the full story
Federal Election Commission records show that Tennessee Fifth Congressional District Republican primary candidate Kurt Winstead donated to federal Democrat candidates in addition to Republican ones.
Williamson County Election Commission records additionally show that Kurt Winstead voted in Democrat primaries in the past.
Read the full story
Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and candidate in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District Beth Harwell called on Congress to finish former President Donald Trump’s border wall.
Harwell said in a tweet, “Drugs & crime are pouring over our southern border as a result of the Biden Admin’s failed border policies. Open borders don’t work. For the safety of our border patrol agents & families, Congress must prioritize finishing Trump’s Wall & funding our law enforcement officers.”
Read the full story
Retired General Kurt Winstead announced Tuesday the latest additions to his campaign team in the race for the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
The campaign has added Fred Davis advertising consultant, Tony Fabrizio and David Lee as pollsters, and The Stoneridge Group as the direct mail and digital voter contact firm.
Read the full story
The campaign of Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles announced on Tuesday he has raised $453,000 during the first month since he announced his candidacy to secure the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District.
Ogles is one of nine qualified candidates on the August 4, 2022 Republican primary ballot for the TN-5 nomination.
Read the full story
A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee regarding a motion made in disqualified TN-5 GOP Congressional candidate Robby Starbuck’s lawsuit against Chairman Scott Golden, the Tennessee Republican Party (TRP), and the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
The presiding judge is Chief District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, an Obama appointee.
Read the full story
Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell is enthusiastic about the role Tennessee will play in the defense of unborn babies in light of the leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“If SCOTUS’s decision to overturn Roe is confirmed and the responsibility is rightfully left up to the states, Tennessee is ready to defend the lives of all unborn children and the life of the mother, thanks to the constitutional amendment we passed under my leadership as Speaker and the Human Life Protection Act,” the candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District said.
Read the full story
In the 5:50 am segment of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Thursday, host Michael Patrick Leahy called on his friend, Matt Boyle, to correct a major factual error in his Breitbart article published Wednesday about the Tennessee Republican Party’s disqualification of carpetbaggers Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, as well as Tennessean Baxter Lee, from the TN-5 GOP primary ballot.
Read the full story
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles won the Marshall County Republican Party’s Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District straw poll by a commanding margin, a poll which was conducted during the party’s annual fundraising dinner Thursday night.
Marshall County Republican Chair Julie Quan allowed disqualified TN-5 candidates Robby Starbuck, Morgan Ortagus, and Baxter Lee to participate in the poll. In a Facebook post shared on Friday, Quan said that the former candidates would be included because the final plans for the event “were finalized prior to the changes by made the SEC.”
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
FEC records show that Baxter Lee, a candidate for the GOP nomination in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race has raised $317,380 for the 2022 first quarter reporting period.
Lee also matched his contributions with a personal loan to the campaign, making the total receipts for the first quarter $634,760.
Read the full story
The first quarter of 2022 finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by TN-5 candidate Robby Starbuck shows that he raised just over $104,000 in the first three months of the year, with 64.73% percent of that– $67,666– coming from out-of-state, and just 35.26 percent of it–$36,857–coming from Tennessee.
Starbuck raised $104,523.78 for the Federal Election Commission reporting period covering January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022 but had a very high burn rate, spending $71,003.56 of it.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell, a candidate for the TN-5 GOP nomination, announced on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy that if elected, she will limit herself to three terms of service totaling six years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Harwell has additionally signed the U.S. Term Limit’s pledge which states “that as a member of Congress I will cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit.”
Read the full story
State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) is effectively the Democrat nominee in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Two candidates submitted qualifying petitions signatures to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, Campbell and Justicia Rizzo. The Secretary of State’s office lists on Campbell’s petitions signatures as approved.
Read the full story
Retired Tennessee National Guard General Kurt Winstead has announced that he has raised more than $520,000 in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Winstead’s campaign announced that 99% of those funds were from Tennessee, and 73% were from the counties within the new boundaries of TN-5, Davidson, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Williamson and Wilson Counties.
Read the full story
Longtime Tennessee state Senate aide Tres Wittum officially announced his entry into the GOP primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
In a video released by the campaign, Wittum said, “I’m Tres Wittum. I’m running for the 5th Congressional District. I’m in.”
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
As of April 7, the date of the qualifying petitions filing deadline, the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office has approved the submissions of fourteen candidates in the race for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District seat.
Eleven Republicans, one Democrat, and two Independents are listed as by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office as having their petitions signatures approved.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
In an exclusive statement provided to The Tennessee Star, Beth Harwell, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and candidate in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district seat, announced that she has raised nearly $350,000 in the five weeks since entering the race.
“I am proud to have the support of so many Tennesseans as we campaign to bring some common sense to Washington.” she said. “We need someone in Congress who knows the needs of Tennessee and will fight to bring back American greatness. I intend to do just that.”
Read the full story
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office now lists twenty-four individuals as collecting petitions in the campaign for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
There are sixteen Republicans, four Democrats, and four independents collecting qualifying petitions for the TN-5 race.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
Tennessee State Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains), the Senate sponsor of the new legislation that establishes a residency requirement for candidates to qualify to run for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, said The Wall Street Journal is a “typical liberal Yankee rag” for its criticisms of the new measure that passed the state’s General Assembly with broad bipartisan support.
Read the full story
In an exclusive statement provided to The Tennessee Star, VIEWPAC, a Republican women’s political action committee that was founded in 1997, endorsed former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
VIEWPAC “was created with the goal of electing qualified, serious Republican women to Congress and protecting and increasing the number of Republican women who hold federal office,” the announcement notes.
Harwell said, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of VIEWPAC and to join the ranks of so many other strong Republican women who are standing up and taking America’s future into their own hands. We have to get America back on track and that starts with some Tennessee common sense in Congress.”
Read the full story
Democrat State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) filed papers with the Federal Election Commission establishing her as a candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
Democrat political consultant Chip Forrester is her campaign treasurer.
Campbell, the former mayor of Oak Hill in Davidson County, was first elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2020, defeating then-incumbent Republican State Senator Steve Dickerson.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
Twenty-two individuals are now listed by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office as collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
There are fourteen Republicans, four Democrats, and four independents collecting qualifying petitions for the TN-5 race.
Read the full story
Former Williamson County Republican Chair Omar Hamada has endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles in the GOP primary for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district seat.
Hamada had previously considered running for TN-5 himself, but had declared that he would not run if Ogles jumped in. Hamada told The Tennessee Star prior to Ogles’ official announcement that he was against running if Ogles ran because in his view, he did not want to split the conservative vote. “Basically, I think we are the old two true solid conservatives and I don’t want to split the vote and have a moderate win.”
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles has officially announced his entry into the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
Ogles made his announcement on Nashville’s Morning News with Dan Mandis, heard weekday mornings on WTN 99.7 FM in Nashville.
Read the full story
New York native David Vitalli, one of three carpetbagger candidates in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District along with Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, addressed his candidacy and relocation to Tennessee.
“My wife and I fell in love with Tennessee in 2013 and spent a lot of time here. We knew that we would move here as soon as our first visit. I may not be a long-time resident of Tennessee, but I got here as soon as I could. I am invested in Tennessee’s 5th district. My home is here. I operate my business here. I didn’t come here looking for a job or to punch another notch on my move up the D.C. social ladder.” said Vitalli.
Read the full story
Tennessee state Senate aide Tres Wittum is anticipating announcing his entry into the Tennessee 5th Congressional district Republican primary during the first week of April.
Tres Wittum told The Tennessee Star, “I’ve been in the exploratory phase. I’m meeting with business leaders and voters. The discussions have been overwhelmingly positive. It’s coming. I anticipate making an announcement concerning my entry into the race during the first week of April.”
Read the full story
Former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell has earned the endorsement of Maggie’s List in the race for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District. Maggie’s List is a federal political action committee (PAC) dedicated to electing fiscally conservative women.
In a release, Harwell said of the endorsement, “I’m honored to have the backing of such a prominent group, like Maggie’s List, that’s leading the way to get conservative women elected to Congress. We can restore America’s greatness by securing our border, lowering taxes, and ending the reckless spending that’s causing inflation.”
Read the full story
Twenty individuals are now listed as collecting qualifying petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of last Friday by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
Fourteen people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary, three are gathering petitions for the Democrat primary, and three independents are also accumulating petitions.
Read the full story
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.
Read the full story