A rare group in Tennessee politics met Tuesday night in a Nashville country club ballroom: Centrist conservatives and "Never-Trump" Republicans gathered in support of Principles First, a nonprofit group founded in 2019 as an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Former Tennessee state Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, introduced a speaker slate including former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, now dean of the Belmont University College of Law, and Nancy French, a former ghost writer for celebrity Republican politicians and a conservative critic of former president Donald Trump.
"I think the voice of the centrist conservative is being drowned out, and I'd like to give it a chance to flourish in the Republican Party going forward," Dickerson told the group.
Principles First, founded by Heath Mayo, aims to "elevate principled leaders around the country." As a nonprofit group, it doesn't endorse candidates but has cultivated a roster of speakers at engagements across the country willing to buck party norms to criticize the direction of the Republican Party in the Trump age.
"The most important, critical segment of the elctorate are the folks who are not just going to vote for someone because of the letter next to their name, whether it's R or D," Mayo said. "But its the people who are going to walk into that voting booth and hold politicians, even hold their own party, accountable to a code that is independent of the politician or the party. Those principles are what hold elected leaders accountable."
Dickerson, speaking to the Nashville group, said he doesn't think centrist conservatives are "present" at the local and county party levels in Tennessee anymore.
"Let's get active," Dickerson said, prompting someone in the crowd to say they're "scared" to be. "Trust me, as I've said, I've been called a lot of names, got a lot of threatening emails in 2016 when I said I would not vote for Donald Trump. I was on the ballot with him. You should have seen the vitriol that I got. They tried to throw me out of the Republican Party at that point."
Lee backs Lundberg's immigration record in new TV spot
Gov. Bill Lee is fronting a northeast Tennessee political ad backing state Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol.
Lee has already hit the campaign trail in support of Lundberg, the chair of the pivotal Senate Education Committee who is facing a GOP primary challenge from Bobby Harshbarger in Senate District 4. Harshbarger is the son of U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Kingsport.
Though Lee doesn't name-check the younger Harshbarger in the new ad, he does say "some people will do anything to get elected."
"Even spread lies about a statesman like Jon Lundberg," Lee said, highlighting Lundberg's military service and conservative bona fides around immigration issues.
"I can count on Jon Lundberg to put Tennessee first. You can, too," Lee said.
The ad was paid for by the Senate Republican Caucus.
Senate Republican heavyweights have already been sharply critical of Harshbarger's campaign, with Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager, R-Kingston, filing an election finance complaint in May alleging "collusion" involving the campaign.
Yager and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally slammed a text blast mounted by the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC earlier this summer that suggested Lundberg was soft on immigration issues.
Yager’s complaint alleged “effort[s] to skirt campaign finance limits” by Diana Harshbarger’s congressional campaign, Bobby Harshbarger’s state Senate campaign and the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC through a text message campaign. The same treasurer, Thomas Datwyler, manages the PAC and congressional campaign. Bobby Harshbarger's campaign did not respond to requests for comment about the complaint.
New survey: 69% of Tennessee voters support state carbon pollution legislation
A new survey commissioned by Centerline Liberties has found broad, bipartisan support among Tennessee voters for new investments in clean energy infrastructure and manufacturing. Produced by New Bridge Strategy and Meeting Street Insights, two Republican polling firms, the survey found that 65% of voters, including 48% of Republicans, say Congress should continue to invest in clean energy infrastructure, according to a memo from the firms obtained by The Tennessean.
There is widespread support for efforts on both federal and state levels to reduce carbon pollution, with 69% of voters saying they would support legislation passed by the state government to reduce carbon emissions.
The survey found that 59% of Tennesseans, including 54% of Republican voters, support investments in hybrid and electric vehicle production in the state, saying the state's investments in the industry have had a positive impact.
Tennessee voters also strongly support measures like modernizing the electric grid, tax credits to support domestic energy supply including investments in wind, solar and hydrogen power, and efforts to help homeowners and businesses become more energy efficient.
Centerline Liberties is a nonprofit organization that advocates for limited government and free market policies.
Dems highlight contraceptive access with 20-foot inflatable IUD
In an effort to draw attention to increasing controversy around the legality of certain contraceptives after the Dobbs decision, a 20-foot, inflatable contraceptive intrauterine device, or IUD, was displayed at four different locations in Nashville last weekend.
Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, and Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, joined a demonstration organized by Americans for Contraception on War Memorial Plaza as the IUD was displayed in front of the state capitol.
“I want to make sure that everyone has access to the best contraceptive methods in this state,” Johnson said. “We have got to make sure that every method of contraception is available in Tennessee.”
Republicans in the state legislature have repeatedly voted down measures proposed by Democrats to codify contraceptive protections.
Women's sports activists hold rally at Redneck Riviera
A group of activists traveling the nation seeking to block transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports stopped in Nashville for a rally at Redneck Riviera last week organized by the Independent Women's Forum.
The nationwide "Our Bodies, Our Sports" bus tour seeks to raise awareness of new Title IX regulations set to take effect on Aug. 1, which the group says will “turn back the clock on women’s rights” by allowing “anyone who self-identifies as a woman into women’s spaces, opportunities, and sports.”
Middle Tennessee native Riley Gaines, a decorated former college swimmer at the University of Kentucky, spoke to supporters at the event. Gaines is among a group suing the NCAA over alleged Title IX violations.
At the event, Gaines called the Biden administration’s Title IX regulations the “most anti-woman, anti-reality pursuit."
Gaines has risen as a prominent voice in conservative media over her opposition to transgender women participating in women's sports after she tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in an event at the 2022 NCAA championship.
Catch up on the week
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