(C) Tennessee Lookout
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Republicans delay decision on long-shot request over contested Oak Ridge state House primary • Tennessee Lookout [1]
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Date: 2024-08
The Tennessee Republican Party’s state executive committee did not hear Oak Ridge Rep. John Ragan’s request to challenge his August primary loss to former Clinton police chief Rick Scarbrough on Monday.
The party was set to meet virtually to hear the challenge, but Ragan opposed a video call and questioned the validity of any decision made during one.
Scott Golden, the head of the Tennessee Republican Party, said the committee will instead meet sometime in September at a special-called meeting to hear Ragan’s challenge.
Golden added that the meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 7 and may still take place virtually, pending approval from the Tennessee Comptroller and Secretary of State.
Ragan lost his primary race to Scarbrough by 258 votes on Aug. 1 for the district that is slightly northwest of Knoxville in Anderson County. He was one of two incumbent Republicans who lost that night.
Within days of the loss, Ragan said he planned to challenge Scarbrough’s victory, claiming Democrats crossed over to vote in the Republican primary to defeat him.
Tennessee law requires primary voters to either be a bona fide party member or declare allegiance to the party. Voting clerks have interpreted this “allegiance” as simply requesting the party’s ballot on election day.
This effectively creates an open primary system in Tennessee, where voters can choose their party on the day of the primary.
Some Republicans have attempted to pass legislation for a closed primary, requiring voters to declare party allegiance ahead of time, but their efforts have failed.
The issue of crossover votes has arisen multiple times over the past five years but has yet to result in a successful challenge. Most recently, in a Madison County mayor’s race in 2022, backers of a Republican who eventually lost made similar accusations about crossover votes, but no one challenged the ruling with the party’s state committee.
In many of Tennessee’s state and county races, the primary winner is almost guaranteed to win the general election, prompting voters from both parties to cross over and influence the primary outcome.
Ragan’s defeat surprised him, but no state Republicans have defended or supported his challenge. Anderson County election officials urged the Republican Party not to take up the challenge.
The 14-year lawmaker was known for his abrasive style and for pushing anti-LGBTQ and culture-war bills, often dividing his caucus. At the end of the 2024 legislative session, he attempted to pass a bill banning reparations, but it was blocked by another Republican.
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