Here are the candidates for House GOP leadership
Following Rep. Andrew Farmer’s withdrawal as a candidate for House majority leader, the only remaining contested GOP leadership race appears to be for caucus chair, where Robin Smith is challenging Jeremy Faison.
Here’s the list circulated among House Republican Caucus members (with the caveat that nominations will also be allowed to be made at the GOP meeting on Tuesday) :
Speaker
- Cameron Sexton
Speaker Pro Tempore
- Pat Marsh
Republican Leader
- William Lamberth
Republican Caucus Chair
- Jeremy Faison
- Robin Smith
Assistant Majority Leader
- Ron Gant
Caucus Whip
- Johnny Garrett
Floor Leader
- Paul Sherrell
Caucus Vice-Chair
- Brandon Ogles
Caucus Secretary
- vacant
Caucus Treasurer
- Mark Cochran
Fiscal Review
- Clark Boyd
- Jason Zachary
- Kelly Keisling
- Kevin Vaughan
- Ron Gant
- Rush Bricken
- Scott Cepicky
Farmer drops challenge of Lamberth for majority leader
State Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) is dropping his bid for House majority leader, according to a message to GOP colleagues obtained by the The Tennessee Journal.
Farmer cites the “fantastic” outcome of this month’s elections in his decision to give up his challenge of Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) for the No. 2 leadership position in the chamber. Republicans held on to all 73 House seats they came into the election with.
“A change in leadership is not what the caucus needs right now and therefore I am officially withdrawing my name,” Farmer said. “The best thing we can do is stand together in unity and support the leadership that is currently in place.”
Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson is challenging Rep. Jeremy Faison of Cosby for House Republican Caucus chair. The leadership vote is scheduled for next week.
Dear Members,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support and encouragement you have given to me over the past several weeks. I have genuinely enjoyed traveling around the state, visiting your respective districts and getting to know you all better. The Tennessee ”volunteer” spirit is alive and well in our great state!
As the election results came in, I was incredibly pleased to see that we successfully brought back all our Republican members. Congratulations to everyone! These fantastic outcomes, combined with the fact we have a significant amount of money left in the caucus, have caused me to reconsider my candidacy for majority leader. A change in leadership is not what the caucus needs right now and therefore I am officially withdrawing my name. The best thing we can do is stand together in unity and support the leadership that is currently in place.
I am looking forward to working with each of you in the 112th.
Photo gallery of House action as Casada elected speaker
Here’s a look at some of the action surrounding the election of Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) as House speaker on Tuesday.
Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) gestures toward former Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) after his election as speaker in Nashville on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) attends a Republican caucus meeting on the first day of the 111th General Assembly on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
House Republican Caucus Chairman Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) attends a caucus meeting on the first day of the 111th General Assembly on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
New House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) takes over the gavel from former Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough) attends a rules meeting in Nashville on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Camper elected minority leader in Tennessee House
Rep. Karen Camper (D-Memphis) speaks tp reporters on Nov. 25, 2018, after her elected as House minority leader. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Fellow Democrats have elected state Rep. Karen Camper of Memphis to be the House minority leader for the 111th General Assembly. Camper is the first African-American to be elected the chamber’s Democratic leader.
Camper will also be the Democrats’ nominee for speaker. The Army veteran has served in the House since 2008.
Camper defeated Reps. Bo Mitchell of Nashville and Johnnie Shaw of Bolivar for the position.
“I am honored by the faith the caucus has shown in me and I pledge to bring the type of aggressive leadership needed to advance legislation that promotes the Democratic agenda, such as quality health care and economic opportunities for all Tennesseans,” she said in a statement.
Rep. Mike Stewart of Nashville was unopposed in his re-election as Democratic caucus chair. Democrats hold 26 of the 99 seats in the House.
Trump cites House Majority Leader Casada in Facebook post
President Donald Trump has cited House Majority Leader Glen Casada (R-Franklin) in a Facebook post.
Casada is running to succeed Beth Harwell as speaker of the Tennessee House. Rivals for the chamber’s top job include Reps. Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville) and David Hawk (R-Greeneville).
