Two of the most powerful policy makers in the State of Tennessee are the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate’s Lt. Governor.  Some may believe that the Governor is the state’s most powerful policy maker but under the state constitution, the office of governor is one of the weakest in the nation.  In Tennessee, the Legislature sets the budget and the Legislature sets public policy by enacting laws.  That body is the source of authority in the state over both taxes and policy and that body is overseen by the speakers of the respective Houses. The Lt. Governor’s office is also significant because the holder of that office succeeds the governor if there is an incapacity, death, removal or resignation.

The speakers of the House and Senate can change every two years. Unlike in some other states, the voters have no direct voice on who holds those offices.  Each of those offices are for practical purposes filled by a vote of the Legislators in each house and in many instances are controlled entirely by the vote of the political party that controls the respective houses since a majority vote for speaker is all that is required.

At present in Tennessee there are news reports and social media threads about a situation involving Tennessee’s current Lt. Governor.   Some believe that the Senate, particularly the Republican caucus of the Senate, may or should soon meet to discuss those circumstances and how to respond to them.  That meeting may or may not occur.

What is certain is that at some point in the future, which may be weeks, months or years, the time will come to select the next Lt. Governor for Tennessee.  Again, that will be a choice made almost entirely by the Republican Senate members who current are the majority party in the Senate. The voters of Tennessee do not get to elect the Lt. Governor. The purpose of this comment is not to address circumstances currently in the news but it is to look at the question of who would be the best choice at some point in the future for a new Lt. Governor that would be most likely advance the constitutional protections of the rights of Tennesseans, including specifically the Second Amendment. Some would contend that a Legislator who stands strong and firm on 2nd Amendment issues is also more likely to be trustworthy on other fundamental constitutional and conservative issues.

As observers and activists in Tennessee’s Legislature, it appears that there are at least three likely Senators to consider as the next Lt. Governor.  In order solely of the Senate Districts which they represent, it seems that likely Senators would at least include Bo Watson (District 11 – part of Hamilton County),  Paul Bailey (District 15 – Cumberland, Jackson, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren and White Counties ) and Jack Johnson (District 27 – Williamson County).

Bo Watson served in the House in the 104th General Assembly (2004) and has served in the Senate from the 105th General Assembly (2006) to the present.  He is presently the chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee.  He does not identify himself on the state website as a member of the TFA, the NRA or any other 2nd Amendment advocacy group.   He is presently sponsoring 47 bills in the Senate but none address core 2nd or 10th Amendment issues or for that matter other issues that appear to be directly related to fundamental constitutional questions.  Looking at a few of the 2nd Amendment topics over the last two sessions, Sen. Watson voted for the “concealed only” permit in 2019.  He also voted for the permitless carry law in 2021.  Generally, his legislative history prior to the current session does not reflect that he has been a sponsor on bills, if any at all, that the Tennessee Firearms Association would look to in order to gauge whether to identify him as a strong 2nd Amendment advocate in the Senate.  He did not vote in 2022 on the bill to remove short barrel shotguns as a prohibited weapon in Tennessee.  In 2022, he received a 92% rating from the NRA.  Other organizational ratings in 2022 were 100% from Tennessee Right to Life, 85% from the American Conservative Union, and 57% from the Family Action Counsel of Tennessee.

Paul Bailey has served in the Senate starting with the 109th General Assembly (assumed office November 4, 2014).  He presently serves as the Chairman of the Commerce and Labor Committee.  He lists himself on the state website as a member of the TFA and the NRA (he has also attended the TFALAC’s annual event).  He is presently the sponsor of 63 bills.  He is currently sponsoring two pro 2nd Amendment bills in the Legislature.  He sponsored 2 bills in the prior general assembly including SB2866 which would have implemented REAL constitutional carry in Tennessee. He cosponsored bills to establish Tennessee as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State” and to authorize University of Tennessee Employees to carry a handgun on campus.  Looking at a few of the 2nd Amendment topics over the last two sessions, Sen. Bailey voted for the “concealed only” permit in 2019.  He also voted for the permitless carry law in 2021.  Generally, his legislative history prior to the current session proves that he been helpful in serving as a Senate sponsor on bills that TFA has supported. In 2022, he received a 92% rating from the NRA.  Other organizational ratings in 2022 were 100% from Tennessee Right to Life, and 100% from the Family Action Counsel of Tennessee.  Paul Bailey is the only one of these three Senators that regularly attends TFA regional meetings to speak directly to and with TFA members.

Jack Johnson has served in the Senate starting with the 105th General Assembly (2006).  He is presently the Senate Republican Leader, which is a leadership position.  He does not chair any of the Senate committees although he does serve on the Calendar, Commerce and Labor, Finance Ways and Means and Ethics committees. He lists on the state website that he is a member of the NRA. He is presently the sponsor of 83 bills although none of those appear to address firearms or handguns, much less core 2nd or 10th Amendment issues.  Looking at a few of the 2nd Amendment topics over the last two sessions, we recall that he did vote for the “concealed only” permit in 2019.  He was the named sponsor on the permitless carry law in 2021 which was the “Governor’s” bill and which was actually presented in committee and on the floor by Senator Mike Bell (the Tennessee Attorney General has submitted a proposed agreed order to a federal court in East Tennessee where the state has conceded that the 18-20 year old restriction’s in Sen. Johnson’s 2021 permitless carry law violated the 2nd Amendment, violated the 14th Amendment and constituted federal civil rights violation).  Generally, Sen. Johnson’s legislative history prior to the current session does not reflect that he has been a sponsor on significant bills that the Tennessee Firearms Association would look to in order to gauge whether to identify him as a strong 2nd Amendment advocate in the Senate.  In 2022, he received a 100% rating from the NRA.  Other organizational ratings in 2022 were 100% from Tennessee Right to Life, 84% from the American Conservative Union, and 71% from the Family Action Counsel of Tennessee.

Looking at prior election results, Bo Watson had no challenger in the Republican primary in 2022 and received 17,265 votes.  Paul Bailey had no challenger in the Republican primary and received 20,785 votes.  Jack Johnson had a challenger in the Republican primary and received 12,470 out of 24,154 votes that were cast or approximately 51.62% of the primary vote.

The background and historical records make it clear from the perspective of an advocacy group that prioritizes the preservation and restoration of core constitutional principles that Sen. Paul Bailey would be the clear choice as Tennessee’s next Lt. Governor.  He has demonstrated that he is the only one that has stepped up to support REAL constitutional carry.  He has voted consistently, as all three generally have, on the Senate floor when 2nd Amendment bills survive the Senate Judiciary or Senate Finance, Ways and Means committees to get there for a vote.  Furthermore, the scores from other conservative groups that look at issues outside the 2nd Amendment also consistently rank Paul Bailey as either the highest or among the highest of these three Senators.

At some point, it will be the job of current or future senators to elect a new Lt. Governor.   Tennessee Firearms Association, based on an assessment that these three Senators are likely contenders, which is a determination consistent with conversations with some Senators who have been willing to speak about likely contenders, urges conservatives and 2nd and 10th Amendment advocates to reach out to your individual Senators now and let them know what your concerns and preferences would be when the time comes to select a new Lt. Governor. One thing that is certain is that a Legislator that has demonstrated a clear and strong history on 2nd Amendment and 10th Amendment issues is likely to be a strong protector of individual rights as protected by the constitution and also a strong advocate for restoring the states the authority that the 10th Amendment denied to the federal government.

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