NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Republican officials have removed three congressional hopefuls from the GOP primary ballot, including one candidate backed by former President Donald Trump.
The late Tuesday night decision by the Tennessee Republican Party was a long awaited result of months of debate over Morgan Ortagus, Trump's former State Department spokesperson, entering Nashville's open 5th Congressional District race.
Even with Trump's endorsement, some Republicans criticized the selection after pointing out that she had just recently moved to the state and did not know the region or its voters.
Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Legislature had sought to nudge Ortagus and others off the ballot by imposing residency requirements on most U.S. House and Senate candidates. However, that attempt fizzled after the state's election office told The Associated Press the legislation — which Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee allowed to go into effect without his signature earlier this month — would not apply retroactively to candidates who had already met the qualifications.
That left the decision up to the state Republican Party, who had received challenges over the voting records of Ortagus, as well as video producer Robby Starbuck and small business owner Baxter Lee. Party officials had until Thursday to decide whether to keep the candidates on the August primary ballot.
Tennessee GOP chairman Scott Golden did not immediately respond to request for comment from the AP.
In a statement, Ortagus said she was “deeply disappointed” in the GOP executive committee's decision.
"As I have said all along, I believe that voters in Middle Tennessee should pick their representative — not establishment party insiders,” she said. “Our team is evaluating the options before us.”
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