TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Feb 16, 2022

A new legislative proposal from Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, would require candidates in primary races for congressional seats to meet residency and other requirements, Axios reports. The current text of the bill requires candidates to have voted in three state elections, but Niceley says he plans to change that to three years of residency. He says the bill is designed to "protect Tennessee from invasion." The proposal seems to be a direct response to the state’s redrawn 5th Congressional District, where a competitive Republican primary is developing. Two of the candidates, Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, are recent transplants to the state. Niceley says federal rules prevent the state from regulating the general election but that primaries can have stricter requirements. The bill is up for a vote today in a Senate committee.