Not all Republicans welcome potential MAGA-certified candidates. On Tuesday, a state Senate committee approved legislation barring anyone who has not lived in Tennessee for three years from running for either the House of Representatives or the US Senate. This would obviously not include either Miss Ortagus or Mr. Starbuck.
This time, Democrats and Republicans kind of agreed. The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Frank S. Nicely, said the bill would deter wealthy “people flying over Tennessee saying, ‘Look, there’s an open area.’ not to find a honky-tonk with a flashlight and a map of Broadway.
Nor is it clear that the city wants a Republican convention.
Mayor John Cooper — the congressman’s brother — was studiously evasive, saying in a statement that the area welcomes any interest in the convention as long as it “makes business sense for the city and is in line with Nashville values.”
How exactly this happens in the long run remains unclear.
Republicans are betting that their machinations will hold back Nashville’s Democratic energy for at least the next decade. While the city added nearly 90,000 residents at the latest census, its suburban counties added over 220,000. Republicans hope these new residents will choose them over Democrats.
But this is not a sure bet.
“It could backfire on them,” Professor Siler said. “These counties are now safely Republican, but they are starting to lean towards Democratic,” a trend that gained momentum in the 2020 presidential election.
Others fear that the dominance of the far-right legislature could deter potential newcomers.
“I hope partitioning Nashville doesn’t cause people and firms to consider moving here,” said Frank M. Garrison, a former investment firm executive and Nashville civic leader.