Robby Starbuck, a candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District’s claims about his voting history were not confirmed by the Williamson County Republican Chair.
Robby Starbuck previously claimed that he voted in August of 2020 and March of 2020 Tennessee Republican primaries when records provided by Williamson County election officials showed that he did not vote in either. In statements provided to The Tennessee Star, Starbuck referenced conversations with Williamson County GOP Chair, Cheryl Brown, to support his claims.
The Star reached out to Chairman Cheryl Brown via email, asking three questions.
1 – Robby has said live on radio and recently in a backdated press release that he voted every election since he moved to Tennessee in 2019 . Records supplied to The Star by Williamson County dispute that claim. They show that he did not vote in the March 2020 or August 2020 GOP primaries. He also declined when given the opportunity by The Star to dispute the authenticity of that document and completely declined to address that issue in statements given to us.
Has Robby Starbuck supplied you with his voter history documentation or have you seen a version of his voter record that contradicts the elections board document? Attached is a copy of the document that the Williamson County Electoral office gave us.
2 – The TNGOP bylaws allow for a candidate’s bonafides to be vouched for in writing by a Party Official. Has Robby asked you to do that for him/are you planning on doing that? Is that what he is referring to when he says that he has already been approved by the Williamson Party?
3 – Robby also claimed that you told him that there is no issue with his bonafides. Is that true and can you elaborate?
Cheryl Brown did not respond via email but was reached in a phone call. Chairman Brown told The Tennessee Star, “Our bylaws speak for themselves. As the State Party Chair Scott Golden has said, a candidate is presumed to be a bonafide Republican. There is a process to challenge that status, but they are presumed bonafide unless their status is challenged. We don’t vouch for a candidate in the primary.”
Brown declined to go on the record about specifics regarding conversations with Starbuck as well as what documents he has or has not provided her with.
Robby Starbuck previously told The Tennessee Star that the Williamson County GOP chairman told him he is eligible and “bona fide,” therefore qualified to be on the primary ballot, and that discussion otherwise is “just semantics,” after The Star shared with him his Williamson County voting record that conflicts with his claim to have voted in the two 2020 Tennessee Republican primaries.
Starbuck added in another statement:
Party chairs in Davidson & Williamson have had my voter history from CA and TN for a long time. They’ve had zero issue with it. It’s been sent to the Wilson County GOP chair recently too. I called Williamson County GOP Chair Cheryl Brown last night to confirm that there’s no issue again. Cheryl confirmed again to me that there’s no issue with my eligibility. These rumors stem from people in the establishment who are desperate to keep a true representative of the people out of this race because they know I’m going to win.
Previously reported, Tennessee GOP Party Chairman Scott Golden told The Star that all Republican primary candidates are presumed to be “bona fide” until they are challenged. Once challenged, the burden of proof to be placed on the ballot rests with the candidate and that no challenges will be accepted until February 7, the first day that candidates are allowed to begin gathering signatures to be placed on the ballot.
Tennessee Republicans who are reportedly considering entering the TN-5 race, include: former Tennessee State House Speaker Beth Harwell, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, former Tennessee National Guard Brigadier General Kurt Winstead, and Nashville businessman Baxter Lee. President Trump has also offered his endorsement to former State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus, should she enter the race.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “People Voting” by Phil Roeder CC BY 2.0.
IF Mr. Starbuck did LIE about having voting in the GOP primaries then he should be toast with the voting public. If he cannot be trusted on the little things just imagine what his behavior might be like once in office. Things such as this – if true – is an example of why the polls showing congressional approval in the teens.
He talks a good game but I have no proof that he is what he says he is. I need proof.
Hopefully Mayor Ogles or even Speaker Harwell get in this race.
We can do better than this Starbuck fraud. Any so-called Republican who claims as his #1 fan Ric Grinnell? Was Bruce/Caitlin Jenner not available?