Congressional candidates Robbie Starbuck and Baxter Lee were also removed from the party’s executive committee after a series of closed-door votes Tuesday. Only three out of more than a dozen members of the executive committee voted in favor of keeping Ortagus on the ballot, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Ortagus was approved by Trump earlier this year after serving as a State Department spokesman during his administration.
The best candidates for the Republican nomination for the 5th Tennessee Congress are now limited to former House Speaker Beth Harwell, Mori County Mayor Andy Ogles and retired Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead.
The decision came just over a week after GOP staff agreed to reconsider challenges to the three candidates who raised questions about their Republicans, including whether they voted in three of the last four Republican first elections, as required by state statutes.
Ortagus criticized the move in a statement late Tuesday, saying she was “a conscientious Republican by their standards and, frankly, in every way.” The former State Department spokeswoman moved to Tennessee from Washington, D.C., in 2021 and was accused of wrapping carpets by critics, including several U.S. lawmakers, who backed a new three-year residency requirement for Tennessee primary candidates that became law. last week.
Senate bill sponsor Frank Nysley, a Republican, suggested in a recent interview with NBC that Jewish members of the Trump family are interested in Ortagus’ political career, but that Trump himself is unlikely to be concerned if it is deemed inappropriate. to apply – either because of the residence requirement, which ultimately did not affect her application, or by the state party.
“I don’t think Trump cares in one way or another,” Nysley told NBC News. “I think Jared Kushner – he’s Jewish, she’s Jewish – I think Jared will be upset. Ivanka will be upset. I don’t think Trump cares. ” Ortagus responded on Tuesday that Niisley “should be ashamed of her repeated opposition to Semitic rhetoric,” citing his recent citation of Adolf Hitler in a speech on homelessness, as well as his comments on her campaign. Ortagus campaign consultant Ward Baker said in a separate tweet that Nysley was motivated by “anti-Semitism” in his efforts to prevent Ortagus from running.
In addition to Nysley’s comments, Ortagus said she was “disappointed” by the decision of the Tennessee Republican Party to remove her from the ballot.
“The Republican Party of Tennessee [does] “I don’t seem to share my commitment to President Trump’s America First policy,” she told CNN.
It is unclear whether the Ortagus campaign plans to challenge the ruling, which is likely to include a lawsuit against the Tennessee Republican Party.
“Our team is evaluating the options before us,” Ortagus said.
The move must have come as a surprise to Ortagus, whose team expected party officials to reinstate her on the ballot after hearing from so-called “vouchers” that planned to confirm her Republican credentials to the executive committee this week. As an ally of Ortagus told CNN last week, “My expectation is that the state will eventually certify it.”
Trump, whose approval has sparked controversy in his orbit among allies who believe she does not truly believe in his movement, has not yet commented on the removal of Ortagus.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
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