The recent redistricting and the related retirement of longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper presented the Tennessee Republican Party with a gift that pretty much fell into its lap.
The new 5th congressional district has all the appearances of being a slam-dunk for the party as it works to regain its majority. Not surprisingly, the new district attracted the attention of highly qualified candidates. But the Tennessee GOP, instead of seeing the interest of high-profile candidates as a positive, chose instead to protect its fiefdom, the voters be damned.
In early February, former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus declared her candidacy. Also declaring was film director Robby Starbuck, whose family fled communist Cuba. Unfortunately, instead of welcoming their candidacies, the state GOP went into bunker mode.
Their first attempt to boot these pesky interlopers was passage of a bill requiring Tennessee U.S. House and Senate candidates to be Tennessee residents for at least three years and residents of the county they will represent for at least one year prior to running. Not surprisingly, it passed with ease in the Tennessee General Assembly. If there is one thing politicians are particularly good at it’s protecting their seats (figuratively and otherwise). However, there were a couple of minor issues.
First, it may not pass muster if challenged in federal court, but secondly it was determined the law would not go into effect in time to achieve its main objective of booting Ortagus, Starbuck and Tennessee native Baxter Lee off the ballot.
Gov. Bill Lee wisely chose to not act on the bill. But that put the ball squarely in the court of the state GOP, which, quite disappointingly, acted in a manner reminiscent of smoke-filled backroom deals designed to protect their fellow pols.
In short order, Ortagus, Starbuck and Lee were told they did not meet the state GOP’s idea of approved Republicans and would not be on the ballot. They appealed and their appeal was rejected last week by the GOP state executive committee.
This past week, state GOP chair Scott Golden appeared on radio station WTN and was interviewed by Matt Murphy. Golden did his best to provide cover for the decision, but only succeeded in making the whole process even more suspect.
Golden said there are three tests for a candidate to be anointed by the state GOP: 1) They must be active in the organization (i.e. time, money); 2) voted in three of the last four statewide elections; 3) party registration.
But he said there was a caveat: if a candidate did not meet the voting standard, they could be “vouched for” as being good Republicans. He said there were several that vouched for the candidates, but the appeals were nonetheless rejected. He refused to disclose the final vote totals.
Repeatedly asked to describe the deliberations to give a sense of whether the process was fair, Golden steadfastly refused to provide details, citing some nefarious lawsuits that may be filed.
So, let’s take a quick look at Ortagus, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, and determine if she is a real Republican. As noted, she served as spokesperson for the State Department for three years. Previously she served as deputy attache and intelligence analyst at the Treasury Department and is currently a member of the United States Navy Reserve. Still have any questions?
Starbuck has also consistently been a Republican. Lee’s apparent transgression was having voted in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
Then there are the deeply troubling comments of state senator Frank Nicely, a sponsor of the residency legislation who has his own favored candidate, former House Speaker Beth Harwell. According to The Associated Press, Nicely told NBC News he didn’t think Trump would care about Ortagus being booted. “I don’t think Trump cares one way or the other,” he said. “I think Jared Kushner — he’s Jewish, she’s Jewish — I think Jared will be upset. Ivanka will be upset. I don’t think Trump cares.”
It was a startling antisemitic remark, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Ortagus.
“I’m a proud part of the Jewish people and will always stand up against antisemitism, one of the oldest and most vile forms of hatred in the world,” Ortagus said. “Senator Niceley’s rhetoric is as disappointing as his character, and I call on my fellow Tennessee Republicans to join me in calling out antisemitism in all forms.”
Starbuck called out the decision to boot him from the ballot as did Lee. There has been talk of lawsuits but nothing to date.
In the end, it’s clear Golden and the state GOP believe a candidate must pass their purity test before they can be allowed to face the voters. Never mind the murkiness of their cloaked process. That’s obviously not meant for your eyes.
The bottom line is simple. They don’t want a candidate they don’t approve of and, worse, don’t believe their own primary voters can be trusted.
Dave Ruthenberg is a multiple award-winning columnist and Main Street Nashville opinion editor.
