Capitol Notebook: The latest on what Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee thinks about mail-in voting – The Tennessean
Lawmakers are back in town. The House has been busy with committee meetings and both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly resume work Monday evening.
Here’s the latest in Tennessee politics.
Hagerty hosts Lara Trump for tele-town hall
On Tuesday, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty held his latest virtual campaign event, this time hosting Lara Trump for a conference call.
He previously hosted White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow for a similar tele-town hall.
During the 30-minute call, Trump and Hagerty talked about his candidacy, answered questions and praised President Donald Trump.
Lara Trump criticized presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the media, China and Democrats.
“You see what the Democrats have done every step of the way,” she said, criticizing the party for their coronavirus related efforts, as well as impeaching her father-in-law. “They have politicized, unfortunately, this pandemic at every turn.”
Hagerty asked the first question and asked her to comment on the “unfair treatment” the president gets in the media and how that could factor into the 2020 race.
“Americans are woke right now,” Trump said. “They see very clearly how the mainstream media consistently misconstrues things that Donald Trump says.”
Noting how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has limited campaign activities, Hagerty asked those on the call to reach out to their family and friends to support his effort.
“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” he said. “Personal networks I think are going to make more of a difference in this campaign than ever before.”
Governor doubles down on opposing extended mail-in voting
In his Thursday briefing, a ritual that has now become weekly, rather than daily, Gov. Bill Lee doubled down on his opposition to extending the opportunity to vote by mail to more Tennesseans.
The Tennessee legislative black caucus earlier that day had sent Lee a letter asking him to issue an executive order to allow for widespread voting by mail ahead of the state’s August primary election.
Lee says he won’t do that, and that election officials are implementing additional precautionary measures in light of the coronavirus pandemic is a more effective solution.
“I don’t think we need to have, and I would not advocate for, no-excuse absentee voting,” Lee said. “That’s not necessary in our state. What’s necessary is we provide the opportunity for absentee voting where it’s needed.”
Currently, the Secretary of State’s office allows individuals to request an absentee ballot for 14 different reasons, though most wouldn’t apply to people who are uncomfortable or afraid to go to vote in-person due to the threat of the coronavirus.
Currently, a doctor can file a statement with election officials saying a voter is sick. Voters 60 and older can also request an absentee ballot for any reason.
Durham campaign finance fines
After multiple delays, campaign finance officials are set to once again consider a case involving a record number of fines against expelled former Rep. Jeremy Durham.
The Registry of Election Finance has scheduled to hear Durham’s case on June 10.
Durham, who was ousted from the legislature in 2016 after facing allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with at least 22 women, is appealing the registry’s decision to issue a $465,000 fine against him for violating campaign finance law hundreds of times.
Last year, an administrative law judge said the registry issued an excessive fine against Durham while saying auditors failed to prove his expenditures were illegal.
The registry was previously scheduled to consider the matter in March but was forced to halt plans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the pandemic, the registry is moving the venue from its usual downtown Nashville office to Durham’s backyard: Franklin.
And Durham won’t be the only Williamson County Republican the registry will discuss that day. Also on the agenda is Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, who had his campaign accounts audited. The registry is expected to be presented with the long-delayed audit at the June meeting.
Rep. Rick Staples, D-Knoxville, is also scheduled to be discussed, with questions lingering about some of his campaign expenditures.
What else you should check out?
- As pandemic bore down, Rep. Phil Roe snatched up Zoom shares, unloaded stock in cruise lines
- What stocks did Tennessee’s Congressional delegation sell and purchase this year? Disclosures detail the transactions
- House committee approves abortion bill that Senate speaker does not intend to pass
- Rep. John DeBerry, ousted by Democrats, may run as independent under new bill
- Lee administration asks state agencies to identify, plan to implement 12% budget cuts
- Economists disagree on how big a financial hit Tennessee will take from COVID-19. But they agree there’s long road ahead
- Efforts to halt Tennessee school voucher program fail in House committee
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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.
Published 10:56 AM EDT Jun 1, 2020
