Outgoing lawmaker to vote by proxy in Tennessee Senate speaker race

A Tennessee Republican senator who captured a redrawn congressional seat will vote by proxy Tuesday in the Senate GOP Caucus election, helping select the state’s next lieutenant governor in a tight race for the leadership post.

In a caucus poll, Republican senators decided 26-0 to allow an attorney for outgoing Sen. Brent Taylor to cast a vote in his place, according to a caucus spokesperson. Taylor will be in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for congressional organizational meetings and will not be able to attend the caucus meeting. 

The proxy vote is believed to be a precedent-setting move for the caucus, which has been caught up in a Senate speaker race for nearly a year between Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and Sen. Paul Bailey of Sparta. 

The Johnson-Bailey election is believed to be within one vote, with two uncommitted, in the 27-member caucus, and Johnson needs Taylor’s vote to ascend to the speaker’s post, which controls the Senate.

The caucus poll was anonymous, and caucus spokesperson Molly Crawford said they don’t know who didn’t participate.  

Fourteen votes will be needed to decide who will serve as speaker and also lieutenant governor, first in line to replace the governor in case of incapacitation or inability to hold office.

Running in the 9th Congressional District, which state lawmakers redrew this year to split a Memphis district and give a Republican a better chance to win, Taylor bested state Rep. Justin J. Pearson by 1.1 percentage point in last week’s election. Taylor also defeated Democrat David Weatherspoon by 3.8 percentage points in the Senate District 31 race, but because he will be heading to Congress, the seat will be vacant until a replacement is decided in a special election.

Caucus members said Taylor submitted a letter to the Senate Clerk’s office requesting to vote by proxy in the caucus election. An email survey from the clerk’s office went out to members, some of whom were still responding last Friday.

Sen. Richard Briggs of Knoxville, who recaptured his seat last Tuesday, said in advance he wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor votes by proxy because Senate leadership supports it. Briggs added that he believes the Senate Republican Caucus needs to change its rules to allow exceptions for proxy votes.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who is leaving the legislature after nearly 50 years, is no longer a senator and will not participate in the Tuesday vote or preside over the meeting but will remain Senate speaker until Jan. 12 when the new General Assembly convenes, according to spokesman Adam Kleinheider.

McNally didn’t take part in the Taylor proxy vote, either, according to Kleinheider. McNally is being replaced as District 5 senator by Jimmy Matlock, a former Republican House member who defeated Democrat David Miller.

Sen. Dawn White of Murfreesboro is the only candidate for Senate majority leader. In the running for caucus chair are the current chairman, Sen. Ken Yager of Kingston, Sen. Becky Massey of Knoxville and Sen. Bill Powers of Clarksville.

Dem leadership stays same

Sen. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis will remain leader of the six-member Senate Democratic Caucus following a vote last week. Sen. London Lamar of Memphis will continue to chair the caucus after a tie vote for the post.

“Senate Democrats are already focused on the special election in Senate District 31, and Tuesday’s results showed this race is winnable,” Lamar said in a statement.