The Tennessee State Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would ban politicians in the state from seeking more than one elected office simultaneously.
SB 1968 passed the Tennessee Senate on Thursday with 17 votes in favor and 15 votes against. The bill, introduced by State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), would prohibit an individual from holding multiple elected offices in Tennessee and ban any state politician from actively campaigning for more than one elected position.
In remarks before the vote, Briggs explained that allowing individuals to seek two offices simultaneously creates a scenario where the candidate’s decision to resign from one office could leave Tennesseans represented by an appointed replacement rather than an elected official.
“This really has a huge potential for abuse,” Briggs (pictured above) argued.
The legislation, however, contains provisions allowing for individuals to compete in special elections while holding or campaigning for another office, allowing individuals to hold an elected position while simultaneously holding an office in a political party’s state executive committee, and allowing individuals currently serving in more than one elected position to finish their term.
In the State House, HB 2080 by State Representative Dave Wright (R-Corryton) passed the Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee on February 7 and is currently slated for consideration by the Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
If it passes the Tennessee House and is signed by Governor Bill Lee, the law would become active immediately after being signed.
The legislation comes as State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) plans to simultaneously run for reelection in the Tennessee House of Representatives while campaigning for the U.S. Senate, where she seeks to unseat Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
In a statement to local media, Johnson confirmed earlier this month, “After a lot of deep reflection and after an outpouring of calls, texts and emails from voters in the district, I have made the decision to file for reelection to the (state) House in 2024 as I run for U.S. Senate.”
Polls have consistently shown Blackburn with a significant lead over Johnson. The most recent survey, released in November 2023, found Blackburn would receive 58 percent of the vote in a general election against Johnson, while just 35 percent would vote for the Democrat, giving the incumbent a 23-point lead.
Blackburn is serving her first term as a U.S. senator but previously represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District from 2003 until 2019.
Last year, Johnson narrowly avoided expulsion from the Tennessee House after a vote was provoked due to her participation in a pro-gun control riot at the Tennessee Capitol.
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
Photo “State Senator Richard Briggs” by State Senator Richard Briggs.