Speaker of the Tennessee House Glen Casada, R-Franklin, is poised to apparently be only the second speaker of the state House to resign his position.NASHVILLE – As she weighs running for the Tennessee House Republican Caucus nomination to replace current Speaker Glen Casada, who announced he would resign after a GOP no-confidence vote last month, Rep. Robin Smith says an important part of any path to victory would be her fellow freshmen who form nearly a third of the caucus.
“We’re the ones bringing ethics reform to the table when others have not,” the Hixson Republican said Monday. “I think there’s an opportunity for us to stick together as a class. But I’m not going to make that presumption, I’m not going to speak on their behalf.”
There’s an “opportunity” for her there, Smith said, but she added, “I’m not going to take anyone’s vote for granted regardless of their tenure.”
Casada, 59, announced May 21 he would step down after the no-confidence vote spurred by a scandal over sexually explicit text messages in a chain of messages involving Casada, his former top aide and a third, unidentified man said to be a “disgrunted” political consultant.
Other issues, including his management style, also created problem for Casada, a former GOP Caucus chairman and majority leader who only became speaker in January.