Rick Tillis
Thomas Richard Tillis[1] (born September 22, 1963) is an American politician, who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 92nd district as a member of the Republican Party. His brother is Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.
Rick Tillis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 92nd district | |
| In office November 8, 2016 – November 3, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Billy Spivey |
| Succeeded by | Todd Warner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Richard Tillis September 22, 1963 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Terry Tillis |
| Relations | Thom Tillis (brother) |
Early life
Thomas Richard Tillis was born on September 22, 1963, to Margie and Thomas Raymond Tillis.[2][3] His brother, Thom Tillis, was later elected as a United States Senator from North Carolina.[4] He received a GED from the Florida Department of Education.[3]
Tennessee House of Representatives
2016 election
In the 2016 Tennessee House of Representatives election, Tillis defeated Michael Waggoner by 40 votes to win the Republican primary.[5] He went on to defeat the Democratic primary winner, Tamra King, in the general election.[6]
2018 election
Tillis was challenged by his predecessor, Billy Spivey, for his seat.[7] Tillis won the Republican primary, and went on to defeat his Democratic opponent, C.S. Coffey, in the general election.[8]
2020 election
In 2020, Tillis ran for renomination in the Republican primary, but was defeated by Todd Warner.[9] Tillis was given an A rating by the National Rifle Association and the organization endorsed him for reelection.[10]
Tenure
In 2017, Tillis introduced his first bill, which attempted to reduce the size of the Tennessee government. It was passed by the Tennessee House of Representatives.[11]
During the 2018 United States Senate election Tillis filed a complaint to the United States Office of Special Counsel calling for an investigation into Phil Bredesen's campaign treasurer, Virginia Lodge, for appearing in a campaign ad. Tillis' complaint alleged that Lodge, who was a board member of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was in violation of the Hatch Act by serving as the treasure of Bredesen's campaign while also serving as a federal employee. He stated that being a treasurer was not in violation of the act, but appearing in advertisements was a violation.[12]
In 2018, Tillis was selected by the Republican caucus to serve as the Majority Whip of the Tennessee House of Representatives.[13]
In August 2019, House Majority Leader William Lamberth and Representative Andy Holt stated that Tillis had admitted to running an account on Twitter which criticized other Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives.[14] On August 30, Representative Jeremy Faison, the chairman of the GOP House caucus, announced in an email that Tillis had stepped down as the Majority Whip.[15] On January 27, 2020, Johnny Garrett was selected to replace Tillis as the Majority Whip.[16]
Committee assignments
- Business and Utilities, Tennessee House of Representatives (110th Tennessee General Assembly)
- Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tennessee House of Representatives (110th Tennessee General Assembly)
- Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, Tennessee House of Representatives (111th Tennessee General Assembly)
- Local Government Committee, Tennessee House of Representatives (111th Tennessee General Assembly)
- State Government Committee, Tennessee House of Representatives (111th Tennessee General Assembly)
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Tillis | 2,344 | 50.43% | |
| Republican | Michael Waggoner | 2,304 | 49.57% | |
| Total votes | 4,648 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Tillis | 16,475 | 74.32% | |
| Democratic | Tamra King | 5,693 | 25.68% | |
| Total votes | 22,168 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Tillis | 4,788 | 57.2% | |
| Republican | Billy Spivey | 3,586 | 42.8% | |
| Total votes | 8,374 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Tills | 14,249 | 75.1% | |
| Democratic | C.S. Coffey | 4,717 | 24.9% | |
| Total votes | 18,966 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Warner | 3,989 | 47.7% | |
| Republican | Rick Tillis | 3,304 | 39.1% | |
| Republican | Vincent Cuevas | 1,152 | 13.6% | |
| Total votes | 8,445 | 100.00 | ||
References
- "MULTIPLE Thomas R. Tillises". News & Observer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012.
- "Thom Tillis Is the Strategist". Charlotte Magazine. October 17, 2013. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "Rick Tillis' Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "Rep. Tillis steps down as Tennessee House GOP whip amid anonymous Twitter account controversy". Chattanooga Times Free Press. September 8, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- https://sos-tn-gov-files.s3.amazonaws.com/1%20Republican%20County%20Totals.pdf
- http://sos-tn-gov-files.s3.amazonaws.com/TNHousebyCountyNov2016.pdf
- https://sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/180802_RepbyOffice.pdf
- https://sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/Nov%202018%20General%20Totals.pdf
- "Four incumbent state lawmakers lose reelection bids. Here's a look at the primaries with incumbents". The Tennessean. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "NRA Endorses Rick Tillis for Tennessee State House". National Rifle Association. July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "State Rep Rick Tillis passes first legislative bill". Marshall County Tribune. March 17, 2020. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "Lawmaker files complaint against Bredesen treasurer". The Tennessean. November 20, 2018. p. A16. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Selected as Majority Whip". The Tennessean. November 20, 2018. p. A16. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Anonymous tweets. A peed-on chair. Control of the caucus campaign committee: The latest House GOP scuffle". The Tennessean. August 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "Rep. Rick Tillis, facing scrutiny for role in anonymous Twitter account, resigns House leadership post". The Tennessean. September 4, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
- "Tennessee House GOP Elect New Majority Whip". U.S. News & World Report. January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020.
External links
| Tennessee House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Billy Spivey |
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 92nd district 2017–2021 |
Succeeded by Todd Warner |