Elevate 2025 Sweeps Election at Williamson County GOP Reorganization Convention

Steve Hickey was elected as chairman of the Williamson County Republican Party during an at times raucous reorganization conference in Franklin on Monday night which was attended by many state party leaders.

Seated in the front row of the convention were Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and his wife, Division IV Circuit Court Judge Deanna Johnson, as well as state GOP Chair Scott Golden and House Reps. Gino Bulso and Jake McCalmon.

Hickey led the Elevate 2025 slate of candidates, which swept the election, securing every position in party leadership, defeating the Williamson County Conservatives slate, led by Williamson County Commissioner Brian Clifford.

The days and weeks ahead of the convention saw the two groups face off in mailers and in the conservative media sphere.

Much of the debate centered around arguments from the Williamson County Conservatives that Elevate 2025 aimed to “cancel Republican primaries” in favor of a caucus system, which they argued would disenfranchise some Republican voters.

Elevate argued that they have been working to stop crossover voting by Democrats and ensuring that only “bona fide” Republicans are taking part in GOP elections.

The division was clear in the convention hall as speakers warned of threats of attempts at “canceling elections,” and “harassing texts” as part of “negative campaigning,” as well as charges of Republicans “declaring war on Republican elected officials.”

Sources told the Williamson Scene that Clifford and the others on his ticket had the support of several high profile figures such as Sen. Johnson as well as Gov. Lee, who appointed him to serve as the leader for the state’s new Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2024. Elevate 2025 was endorsed by Tennessee Stands founder Gary Humble who narrowly lost to Johnson in 2022.

Some audience members cheered and jeered the energized speakers, many of whom professed themselves as the “true conservatives” who will protect the integrity of party elections as 1,555 “bona fide” Williamson County Republicans cast ballots in the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs.

“We have an incredible grassroots army working for this campaign and facilitating what happened tonight,” Hickey said in his victory speech. “I am deeply indebted to you.”

That winning Elevate team also consists of county party First Chair Diane Chenard, Second Chair Elliot Franklin, Third Chair Courtney Laginess, Treasurer Tim Raynaud, Assistant Treasurer Brandon Bell, Secretary Leigh Ann Cates and Assistant Secretary Peg Raciti.

The entire Elevate slate was sworn in on stage following their win, but minutes later, the results were challenged and a hand recount was underway for the chairman position. Hickey gained three votes and Clifford lost one vote following the recount, with a state election official telling the Williamson Scene that six ballots had no choice marked for party chair.

The final vote breakdown for the Elevate ticket’s clean sweep was extremely close and nearly a 50 percent split in most cases.

Hickey told reporters that his first task as party leader will be working to bridge the internal divide and bring party members together.

“The first thing I’m going to do is sit down with Brian Clifford and talk to him about what their plans were for the party and see where we can blend together what he wanted to do with what we're going to do,” Hickey said. “We are the Republican Party. And at the end of the day, Republicans come together, and we figure it out. We will unify.”

“Congratulations to the new board of our local Republican party,” Clifford said in a statement to the Williamson Scene on Wednesday. “I look forward to their leadership. I will continue to support our local party to promote Republican values in Williamson County, and I hope that we can work together to better unify all Republicans in Williamson County.”

The Williamson County Conservatives website pitched itself as standing for “honest elections, grassroots participation, and real conservative leadership,” and characterizing local party leaders as a “corrupt regime” in social media posts.

“We will never let our Republican candidates be decided by a group of elite insiders. We will not let them cancel our elections. We will never cancel your elections or your vote,” Clifford said in his pitch to Republican voters on Tuesday, at times echoing statements made by President Donald Trump.

“My opponents have attacked me relentlessly in this campaign, and they will tonight, but they're not coming after me. They're coming after you, and your right to vote, and I just happen to be standing in the way.”

While the votes were close, the entire Williamson County Conservatives slate all fell short of earning any party leadership position. Clifford’s fellow candidates were: Ali Adair for first vice chair; Drell Floyd for second vice chair; Patti Carroll for third vice chair; Michelle Sutton for treasurer; Steven Giorno for assistant treasurer; Kimberly Calcote for secretary; and Rob Verell for assistant secretary.

The majority of the Elevate ticket is continuing their service to the party, having worked under now-former chair Tracy Miller. Miller cited personal reasons and the time commitment of the chair when explaining to the Williamson Scene why he chose not to run again, after he was elected in 2023 in what was also then a divisive convention.

“I just didn’t have the time to devote to the job that the job needs,” Miller said. “It’s a job that requires you to be there so much and to be constantly communicating. I didn’t want to do a lesser job.”

Miller said that growing the party’s membership, establishing a new headquarters and expanding fundraising are among the top accomplishments of the party under his tenure.

“People are energized, people are active, I just hope we can get more and more of them to join the party and come together,” Miller said. “It’s a good force to have your crowd grow past your capacity, that’s a good problem to have.”