Democrat Potts won’t run for state House again next year

State Rep. Jason Potts (D-Nashville) won’t seek another term in the General Assembly next year, The Tennessean‘s Natalie Allison reports. Potts missed 21 of 34 legislative days this session, telling the paper the job doesn’t pay enough, that he wants to spend more time with his young family, and that he was “discriminated against” by the Republican supermajority.
Potts is the second lawmaker to say he won’t be returning next year. Republican Rep. Bruce Griffey of Paris has said he wants to run for a judicial seat or district attorney general in 2022. Several other lawmakers are expected to step aside with redistricting looming.
“I’m not going to run again when I’m discriminated against every day,” Potts told the paper about his inability to get legislation passed.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) rejected Potts’ assertion as “utter nonsense.”
“In order to pass legislation, you should be in the General Assembly to actually run a bill,” Sexton said.