NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — When Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) was nearly expelled last year, she used the momentum to launch a campaign for the United States Senate while also running for re-election in her Tennessee House seat.
“It is in the law, it’s been done before,” Johnson said. “People have been on the ballot for two times.”
But Republicans are pushing a new bill to outlaw dual-campaigns in the state.
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“It’s time that we prevented people from running for two offices or three offices at once,” Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said.
But the move could have some unintended consequences, as Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes (R-East Ridge) has been on East Ridge City Council since 2016 and currently serves as Vice-Mayor.
Though she said her situation is a little different than Johnson’s.
“I think the only similarity is that her name is going to be on the ballot twice, like mine,” Helton-Haynes said. “I think the difference is that I ran with the intention of winning and serving in both, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”