Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally won a vote of confidence Monday from members of the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. In total, 19 members voted in support of McNally’s continued leadership as Lt. Governor while seven did not, according to a statement emailed to media following the private caucus vote.
“I have always been honored, humbled and grateful for the support of my caucus. I remain so today,” McNally said. “We have a lot of important work left to do as we complete the legislative session, including the budget. I look forward to getting to it.”
The vote comes after weeks of controversy surrounding McNally’s bizarre social media postings on his official government Instagram account.
In response to WMC Action News broadcast journalist Walter Murphy’s post of screenshots showing McNally’s comments, the Lt. Governor’s office released a statement in defense of the social media activity, saying in part, “[McNally] enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds, and orientations on social media.”
In addition, during a sit-down interview with NewsChannel 5, McNally stated it was “not his intent” to “embarrass” his family, friends, or any members of the state legislature with his social media postings.
McNally has since deleted his official government Instagram account.
Some Tennessee lawmakers have called on McNally to resign amid the controversy surrounding his social media postings.
In addition to calling for McNally’s resignation, State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) went a step further by calling on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to “open a probe into this incident to examine possible variations of Tennessee criminal law related to the sexual exploitation of a minor.”
Meanwhile, as previously reported, multiple sources familiar with the Tennessee political landscape have told The Tennessee Star that McNally may not be mentally or physically capable of continuing to serve as lieutenant governor in the aftermath of the recent social media postings controversy, with many noting that they have observed a sharp drop in McNally’s mental acuity over the past two years.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Lt Gov Randy McNally” and “Tennessee State Senate” by Tennessee General Assembly.
