Tennessee GOP senator says ‘no basis’ to expel her from caucus

A Tennessee Republican senator says the Senate GOP caucus has “no basis” to expel her for endorsing an independent gubernatorial candidate as a Senate speakership vote approaches.

Sen. Janice Bowling, a 14-year lawmaker from Tullahoma, told the Lookout that she is not concerned about a potential vote by the Senate Republican Caucus to remove her because she backed independent David Hatley rather than the Republican nominee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, in the governor’s race.

Even though the endorsement could lead to expulsion from the Tennessee Republican Party, Bowling said the caucus has “no basis” to kick her out and “no legal mechanism” to take action against her for the endorsement of Hatley. 

Bowling, who was re-elected in 2024, is expected to vote for Sen. Paul Bailey over Majority Leader Jack Johnson in the Nov. 10 Senate speaker election, which is tight in the 27-member caucus.

In a Facebook post, Bowling said she became comfortable with Hatley after meeting with him. He casts himself as a “conservative” and said he is running as an independent because he didn’t meet the party’s requirement of voting in the last three Republican primaries. Hatley, who is drawing the attention of the Blackburn campaign through negative ads, had his voting rights reinstated after being convicted of bank fraud some decades ago as he tried to start a business.

Bowling told the Lookout that Senate District 16 voters approve of her decision to endorse Hatley rather than Blackburn.

Yet the Tennessee Republican Party has “sole discretion” to disqualify any person from running as a Republican candidate if it determines the person doesn’t meet standards such as voting in GOP primaries, supporting the party or participating in Republican events. The party’s bylaws don’t address Senate Republican Caucus rules.

But Scott Golden, chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, said in a recent statement that failure to back the party’s nominee “absolutely endangers” any Republican’s good standing. Thus, the endorsement of Hatley also could work against Bowling if she seeks another term in 2028.

Caucus members started discussing the possibility of expelling Bowling immediately after she publicly backed Hatley in early October.

Tennessee Senate leaders predict no move to expel member before speaker vote

Senate Republican Caucus leaders told the Lookout last week they don’t expect to take up a potential vote to expel Bowling before the Nov. 10 caucus elections in which the group, which holds a supermajority in the 33-member chamber, will decide who replaces outgoing Senate Speaker Randy McNally. The Senate speaker also serves as lieutenant governor, first in the line of succession in case the governor is incapacitated or removed from office.

Johnson and Sen. Ken Yager of Kingston, who chairs the Republican caucus, told the Lookout last week they don’t plan to take a vote that would change the caucus membership before the Senate speaker vote. But they didn’t rule out a vote afterward to oust Bowling.

Sen. Ferrell Haile of Gallatin, the Senate speaker pro tem, predicted no vote would be taken to expel Bowling. 

Such a move is likely to anger several caucus members. And when Bowling talked to the Lookout, she said, “I don’t think they have the votes.”