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Tennessee Republican Party

The Tennessee Republican Party (TRP or TNGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Tennessee. Since the mid-1960s, the state has become increasingly Republican. The current chairman of the Republican Party of Tennessee is Scott Golden. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of Tennessee's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship.

Tennessee Republican Party

Scott Golden

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally

Speaker Cameron Sexton

95 White Bridge Road, Suite 414
Nashville, Tennessee 37205

  Red (unofficial)

2 / 2
27 / 33
75 / 99

History[edit]

Upon its entry into the Union in 1796 Tennessee was strongly Democratic-Republican. Tennessee became a two-party system for more than 20 years during the Jacksonian era. The Democratic Party was formed by Jackson followers and this party was dominant against the rival Whig Party led by Henry Clay. But in 1835, there was a turn in power of party and a Whig governor was elected. Tennessee after the American Civil War was part of the Democratic South for about a century. East Tennessee however remained strongly Republican. Even though the state was predominantly Democratic, two different presidential elections won the state of Tennessee in 1920 and 1928. In the 1960s and 1970s Republicans made a push into the Democratic power when in 1966, Howard Baker was elected US senator. Then again Republicans made another push, when Winfield Dunn was elected governor, the first Republican Governor in over 50 years.[1]


Republicans rarely held seats in the U.S. House from the South during the Solid South period with the party only holding two seats in Tennessee between 1947 and 1952, out of the 105 seats in the south. [2] Republicans won 80 of 2,565 congressional elections in the south during the first half of the 20th century. 50 of these victories were in eastern Tennessee.[3]

Senior U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn

Senior U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn

Junior U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty

Junior U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty

State Chairman

Vice-chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Vice-Treasurer

National Committeewoman

National Committeeman

General Counsel

Fred Thompson

Bill Frist

Don Sundquist

Howard Baker

Bill Brock

Winfield Dunn

Lamar Alexander

Bob Corker

Controversial comment[edit]

In 2008, the Tennessee Republican Party issued a press release that featured a photo of Senator Obama dressed in traditional Kenya clothing that the TN GOP called "Muslim attire" and used Obama's middle name "Hussein." Both Senator John McCain and State Democratic Chairman Gray Sasser decried the press release.[10][11]

In July 2009 state senator resigned after being caught in a sexual relationship with a 22-year-old intern. Paul Stanley was known for running for family values.[12] Stanley resigned because he wanted to focus more on his family and better that since his indiscretions. He was quoted saying "And just because I fell far short of what God's standard was for me and my wife, doesn't mean that that standard is reduced in the least bit."[13]

Paul Stanley

a Republican Tennessee State Representative was arrested on 7 felony counts of lewd and exposing himself to girls under the age 16. He committed suicide before he could be prosecuted.[14]

Keith Westmoreland

was a statewide bribery sting, where 3 Democratic Senators and 1 Republican Representative were either convicted or pleaded guilty. 8 other people also either pleaded guilty or were convicted.[15]

Operation Tennessee Waltz

1865

Edward H. East

1865–1869

William G. Brownlow

1869–1871

Dewitt C. Senter

1881–1883

Alvin Hawkins

1911–1915

Ben W. Hooper

1921–1923

Alfred A. Taylor

1971–1975

Winfield Dunn

1979–1987

Lamar Alexander

1995–2003

Don Sundquist

2011–2019

Bill Haslam

African American Development Council

College Republicans

Republican Jewish Coalition

Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Tennessee

Teenage Republicans

Young Republicans

Tennessee Federation of Republican Women

from 1977 to 1981.[17]

Thomas W. Beasley

Jim Burnett, from 1995 to 1999.

from 1999 to 2001.

Chip Saltsman

from 2001 to 2004.

Beth Harwell

Bob Davis, from 2005 to August 2007.

[18]

from August 4, 2007, to May 30, 2009.[19]

Robin Smith

from 2009 to 2015[20]

Chris Devaney

from 2015 to 2016.

Ryan Haynes

Moreland, Laurence; Steed, Robert; Baker, Tod, eds. (1991). . Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275931455.

The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics

Tennessee Republican Party

Tennessee Federation of Republican Women

Tennessee Federation of College Republicans

Tennessee Young Republican Federation

Republican Platform

Tennessee Teenage Republicans

Republican Jewish Federation