It was disappointing, but not surprising, to see that a Republican primary challenger for a Hamilton County state House seat felt he’d been discouraged to run.
Tony Hullender, an attorney who recently retired from the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, told this newspaper Tuesday that Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Gail Greene insinuated to him it would be futile to take on first-term District 27 state Rep. Michele Reneau, R-Signal Mountain, in August’s primary.
“You know, they seem to be trying to stop me,” he told reporter Ruby Rayner. “And if [Reneau’s] such a great candidate and I’m so bad, why do they care?
(IN THE NEWS: Republican running for Tennessee House says party chair discouraged candidacy)
It wasn’t the first time we heard Hullender had been discouraged by Greene to run. A local Republican elected official told us the same thing.