Tennessee
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a longtime Oak Ridge lawmaker, is retiring
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has served since 1979
Randy McNally represents parts of Knox County.
Randy McNally, the longtime Republican lawmaker from Oak Ridge and leader of the Tennessee Senate since 2017, is retiring, he announced on the Senate floor. He will not seek reelection in 2026.
His retirement marks the end of a 47-year tenure in the state legislature, where he made waves for East Tennessee and rose to the second-highest ranking role in the state as lieutenant governor.
“This is a very difficult thing to do,” McNally told his colleagues Feb. 26. “I’ve decided not to run for reelection in November. My aim each day was to leave my state and my community a little better than I found them. Together, I believe we have done just that. Tennessee’s success is due in no small part to the people I have served alongside every day.”
McNally cited health concerns as the reason for his retirement, adding he wants to make the most of the coming years.
The Anderson County resident was the highest-ranking East Tennessean in the state government, elected by his colleagues to lead the State Senate and manage policy and budget priorities.
McNally, 82, represents the 5th Senate District, which includes all of Anderson and Loudon counties, as well as a sliver of Knox County stretching from downtown up to Sharp’s Ridge north to Powell and in the county’s west side through Karns and Hardin Valley.
“My public service has been a team effort every step of the way,” McNally said on social media. “I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated.”
That means the Aug. 6 primary election for his seat is wide open. The general election is Nov. 3.
McNally had taken initial steps to run for reelection by pulling a nominating petition. He is the only Republican in the district to have done so.
There’s no clear successor for lieutenant governor. Top contenders include Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Commerce Committee Chairman Paul Bailey, R-Sparta. The Senate Republican Caucus will hold elections to select a successor.
Well-wishes for McNally have begun to flow.
“(McNally) has been a trusted friend and a steady conservative leader for Tennessee,” U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty said on social media. “From his time in the House of Representatives to his service as lieutenant governor, Speaker McNally has never wavered in his commitment to the betterment of our state. Thank you for your years of service and wishing you well in your next chapter.”
Randy McNally’s long history in the Tennessee legislature
McNally was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1979 and served there for eight years before moving on to the state Senate. He became Tennessee’s lieutenant governor in 2017.
McNally made a name for himself in the late 1980s through his participation in Operation Rocky Top. He worked undercover with the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service to expose illegal activities among state officials.
During his time in office, McNally at times went against members of his party by showing reluctance to support bills he feared would cause unnecessary conflict, particularly those that critics said targeted the LGBTQ community.
In 2023, McNally was the was criticized for comments he left on sexual Instagram photos posted by a young man who is gay. McNally stood by his comments, saying he tries to support all constituents.
USA TODAY-Network Tennessee contributed to this report.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
Tennessee
A New Miss Tennessee Will Be Crowned This Week
The Miss Tennessee Opportunity welcomes contestants, families, alumni, and supporters from across the state to Nashville June 15-20, 2026, for Miss Tennessee Competition Week at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Belmont University. The week will culminate with the crowning of a new Miss Tennessee and Miss Tennessee’s Teen as current titleholders Zoe Scheiderich and Analee Shaver pass on their crowns. The Miss Tennessee Opportunity is the officially licensed state program of the Miss America Opportunity, one of the nation’s leading achievement and scholarship organizations for young women. Click for More Events
Competition week features interviews, rehearsals, preliminary competitions, special events, and scholarship opportunities for talented young women representing communities throughout Tennessee. Throughout the week, attendees will have opportunities to participate in special events and celebrations leading up to the final night of competition. These events include a Red Carpet Gala on Wednesday, June 17 and the Miss Tennessee Par-Tea on Thursday, June 18, both taking place in the lobby of the Fisher Center. Tickets for the competition and official events are available through the Miss Tennessee website at misstennessee.org.
Miss Tennessee 2025 Zoe Scheiderich, a native of Lebanon and student at Middle Tennessee State University, has represented Tennessee with distinction throughout her year of service. At the Miss America Competition, Scheiderich earned recognition as a Top 11 finalist and Preliminary Fitness Award winner while advancing her initiative to empower and equip women and girls. A classically trained dancer and aspiring sports broadcaster, she has earned significant scholarship support through the Miss America Opportunity and has served as an ambassador for the organization across Tennessee.
Joining her on the final night stage will be Miss Tennessee’s Teen 2025 Analee Shaver of Collierville. A student leader, accomplished dancer, and advocate against bullying, Shaver has spent her year promoting her community service initiative, Stand4Me, which encourages students to become advocates for peers experiencing bullying. Through school visits and community appearances, she has championed inclusion, empathy, and kindness among Tennessee’s youth.
The Miss Tennessee competition celebrates its 73rd year this June and is honored to welcome the reigning Miss America and former Belmont student, Cassie Donegan, to join in on the competition week festivities and perform a special showcase of music. Donegan has enjoyed a whirlwind year of appearances and advocacy since being crowned the 98th Miss America last September. She will be a featured guest Wednesday – Friday of competition week.
“We are excited to welcome Tennessee’s outstanding young women and their supporters to Nashville celebrating service, scholarship, style, success, and sisterhood,” said Dr. Colene Trent, CEO and Executive Director of the Miss Tennessee Opportunity. “We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of Zoe and Analee while introducing Tennessee to the reigning Miss America and the next generation of leaders who will represent our state.”
The competition is supported by a robust team of sponsors including The Clothes Tree Nashville, which provides all competition and appearance gowns and clothing for the titleholders and Beaman Toyota, which provides the official Miss Tennessee vehicle. The official transportation partner of the Miss Tennessee Competition is Gray Line Tours. The competition is also grateful for its partnership with the Fisher Center and Belmont University. The new Miss Tennessee will receive a $10,000 scholarship, a year of opportunities and travel throughout the state, and the honor of representing Tennessee in the iconic Miss America Competition in September.
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Tennessee
John Rose visits Blountville amid quest for Tennessee governorship
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Congressman John Rose made his way to the Tri-Cities Tuesday as part of his “Tennessee True Tour” as he seeks to secure the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s upcoming gubernatorial election.
Rose is holding a series of town halls across the state to talk with voters and hear their concerns.
On Tuesday, the governor hopeful visited the Ron Ramsey Regional Ag Center in Blountville. Rose is an entrepreneur who started his own I.T. training company. He says his business experience translates to the governor’s office.
“I think Tennessee needs to think about who they’re going to choose as their next governor,” he said. “And they need a leader that’s ready to go to work on day one. The job of being governor is the job of being CEO of our state. It’s a big organization. It’s not a business, but it’s got a lot of the attributes of a business.”
The ag center was a familiar backdrop for Rose. He grew up working with his father on their farm that has been in their family for more than 200 years. That experience, Rose says, makes him able to relate to farmers who may be struggling.
“They want a governor who will listen,” he said. “They’re tired of DC politicians who come and speak at them when it’s election time, but then don’t show up and don’t address the challenges of the day. They want a governor who will apply our conservative Tennessee values, faith, family, and freedom in taking on the challenges that face Tennessee. And finally, they want a governor who will work hard to protect the nature and quality of Tennessee, our natural beauty, but also the values that really define Tennessee, our southern hospitality.”
Rose will face U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and State Representative Monty Fritts, as well as others, in the primary on Aug. 6.
Tennessee
Tennessee Highway Safety Office contest seeks best-looking police cruiser photo
TENNESSEE — Tennessee law enforcement agencies are vying for statewide bragging rights in a contest to find the best-looking police cruiser photo.
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office is holding the contest as part of the 22nd annual Law Enforcement Challenge, with more than 90 agencies taking part. The challenge recognizes the agency with the “coolest cruiser photo.”
Several local agencies are participating, including the Bristol Tennessee Police Department, which is hoping to win this year.
“In previous years, we’ve taken pictures in front of the race track. We’ve also used another landmark, which is our Bristol sign downtown and we have not yet submitted one on our mural that’s in downtown Bristol, so we definitely wanted to showcase that beautiful artwork that’s in our downtown area, hoping that that artwork will take us the award home,” said Jacey McCray, community outreach officer for the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department.
The winning agency will be selected using ranked-choice voting, meaning each voter is required to vote for three agencies.
The deadline to vote is this Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
You can vote here.
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