In the race to fill the congressional seat vacated by gubernatorial candidate John Rose, former Tennessee Republican House Whip Johnny Garrett took an early lead over former U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary in early voting returns in the Republican primary in the 6th District on Aug. 6.
Mike Croley was leading the Democratic primary in early returns, leading Chaney Mosley, Lore Bergman, Christopher Finley and Miriam Leibowitz.
Unofficial results provided by the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office.
Garrett represented part of Sumner County in the state legislature since his election in 2018 and was majority whip of the Tennessee House of Representatives. A lawyer by trade, Garrett is president of Goodlettsville Little League Baseball and has led the team
twice to the Little League World Series. During his four terms in the statehouse, Garrett has sponsored bills to punish local law enforcement if they don't work with federal agencies on President Donald Trump's deportation agenda, and supported legislation to ban gender transition surgeries for trans children and bar transgender student athletes from participating in intercollegiate sports.
Hilleary represented Tennessee’s 4th District from 1994 to 2002 and was the Republican nominee for governor in 2002, narrowly losing to Phil Bredesen. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Hilleary ran for Congress in 1994, moved to run by then-President Bill Clinton's 1993 tax increase. He was reelected three times and worked to balance the federal budget four times — the only four balanced budgets Congress has passed in the last 55 years. He left Congress in 2002 to run for governor and ran for U.S. Senate in 2006. For the last six years, Hilleary has been chief of staff for Rose, serving constituents of the district he's now seeking to represent.
District 6 has historically been a safe Republican district, and that's not likely to change. After redistricting in May, the core of District 6 remains intact.
Few distinctions during primary
Garrett and Hilleary weren’t able to significantly differentiate themselves during the race. Both are staunchly loyal to President Doanld Trump. Trump did not endorse in the race. Rose did not endorse either candidate to succeed him.
Garrett, 47, is younger than Hilleary, 67. He has eight years of experience as statehouse GOP whip passing controversial bills through a legislature overwhelmingly controlled by his own party. Hilleary has eight years of experience in Congress, also primarily during years when Republicans controlled the U.S. House. He led Rose's office as chief of staff.
Garrett touted endorsements from U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and conservative podcaster Riley Gaines.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, endorsed Hilleary days before early voting ended, calling him a mentor. Sexton endorsed Hilleary over Garrett, who served as House Republican Whip for the last several years. In that role, Garrett worked closely with Sexton in House GOP leadership to pass controversial legislation and expel two House Democrats. Sexton and Garrett appeared alongside each other during weekly news conferences throughout the legislative session.
Hilleary was also endorsed by the mayors of Crossville, Cumberland County and Sumner County, and state Sen. Paul Bailey — who is seeking the role of lieutenant governor.
Did AI-generated deepfake ads move the needle?
Days after a new state law took effect requiring candidates to disclose AI use in campaign ads, an AI-fueled ad war ignited. The Hilleary campaign ran an ad featuring AI-generated videos of him in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump signs the “SAVE America Act.” The ad said Hilleary would be an “America First” fighter.
Another AI-produced ad from Hilleary featured Garrett marching in a pride parade, shaking hands with a drag queen, lovingly holding a photograph of former Vice President Kamala Harris and laughing alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"Crushing the woke left? Not Johnny Garrett. Garrett donated to the Democrat party to elect Nancy Pelosi speaker,” the ad states. “Woke Johnny Garrett wants to transition Tennessee from conservative to woke.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Johnny Garrett takes early lead in GOP race for U.S. House District 6
