Sanderson to resign from state House
Rep. Bill Sanderson (R-Kenton) speaks with colleagues at a House GOP Caucus meeting in Nashville on July 24, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
State Rep. Bill Sanderson is resigning from the General Assembly. The Kenton Republican said he wants to spend more time with his family and on his business.
NEW tonight: Ahead of tomorrow morning's House Republican Caucus vote to elect a new speaker, Rep. Bill Sanderson says he is resigning from the legislature. #tnleg https://t.co/rsPWSgiqY8
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) July 24, 2019
His resignation will be effective at noon Wednesday, meaning he could still vote for speaker in the House Republican Caucus meeting to nominate a new speaker earlier in the day.
Sanderson, who owns White Squirrel Winery, said it’s become increasingly difficult to juggle his business and legislative responsibilities. He told The Tennessean he lost 135 peach trees this year while serving in Nashville.
“It requires a full time,” he said. “I’m going to have to be at home more.”
Sanderson said he’s been considering stepping down for two months, but decided on a date after the “whole Casada thing came about.”
Sanderson rejected rumors circulating around the legislative office building that Casada might be trying to pressure him with compromising information.
“Hell no,” Sanderson told The Tennessean.
“If there’s anything up here on me, I’m unaware of it,” he said.
UPDATE: Writer Cari Wade Gervin reports Sanderson was active on the Grindr same-sex dating app. Sanderson says the messages were faked. Read the full account below:
Why is Rep. Bill Sanderson resigning? Because he's been using Grindr while voting for anti-LGBT legislation, despite having a gay son. https://t.co/9cTnJnvh7I
— Cari Wade Gervin (@carigervin) July 24, 2019
9 Responses to Sanderson to resign from state House
Leave a Reply
I hope Casada has compromising information on a lot of these fools so they all resign. I want to see Bill Lee’s texts about vouchers and promoting National Guard members.
The notoriously easy grading American Conservative Union gives Sanderson a paltry 81% lifetime rating. Somehow I think the state will survive without Sanderson’s presence in the House and his resignation will give the people of Kenton a chance to elect a more solidly conservative Republican in the special election to replace him.
He’s resigning because a story is coming out that he’s gay.
https://carigervin.substack.com/p/no-13-while-voting-for-anti-lgbt?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoyMzU4Njc2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo5MjU1MiwiXyI6IlBXemwzIiwiaWF0IjoxNTYzOTg4NjM1LCJleHAiOjE1NjM5OTIyMzUsImlzcyI6InB1Yi02NjkwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.fwiUb3cPT5CLFF6ERtZPmwbFssMYovl4Y5rQiGYl2Gg
It’s not that he’s gay, it’s that he’s such a hypocrite in his words, actions and deeds. And that he is unfaithful to his spouse, which is a character defect.
Sad that he has deceived his wife, his constituents, and perhaps even himself for so long. And sadder still that a significant segment of our society stigmatizes being gay to the point that individuals find themselves living double lives.
Being gay is not an “eccentricity,” as bigoted fringe elements might tell you. Being gay is an intrinsic personal characteristic, a perfectly normal status, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, it will take some time and perhaps more generational change to reach a more enlightened broad-based view.
I’m okay with outing a legislator who has voted for anti-LGBT legislation or voted against most LGBT-equality bills IF there is verification in reporting. I am NOT okay with allegations about a legislator’s child that constitute invasion of privacy.
Totally agree.
Sanderson is simply not conservative enough for my tastes so I don’t regard his resignation as a particular loss. As for his sexual eccentricities vs. his voting record it could be that he regards his eccentricities as wrongful, and his constituents regard his eccentricities as wrongful so his voting against legislation that would provide those with his eccentricities privileges and/or disadvantage those who regard these eccentricities as wrongful is simply his being an effective legislator.
This is the same type of tortured logic that most Republicans use in their support for the Trumpster and their ability to look in a mirror without gagging.
MAGA and again in 2020. Nuff said.