Incumbent District 92 state Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) is pitching education and infrastructure as his top legislative priorities if reelected on Nov. 5.
“I think infrastructure should be number one and education should be two of the top priorities that we look at here, all across Middle Tennessee, not just in my district,” Warner said.
Warner is facing off against Democratic challenger Teri Mai for the seat which covers Marshall County and a portion of southern Williamson County.
In July, Warner and Mai both took part in an election forum hosted by the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce.
“She has run a very, as far as I know, a very, very clean race, and I've tried to do the same, and I respect her for that,” Warner said.
Education
Warner is a vocal anti-school voucher legislator in the Republican supermajority, but unlike other anti-voucher Republicans, he was not primaried in August.
Warner told the Williamson Scene that he's not sure why he wasn't primaried, and reiterated his anti-voucher position, adding that he doesn't believe that Republicans will have enough votes to pass a voucher bill next session.
“I think that my district knows at the end of the day that I want to vote my district and do what they want,” Warner said. “I'm not going to bow down to leadership. I'm not going to bow down to the governor, nor am I going to bow down to the special interest groups.”
“That being said, I'll work with leadership when I can, and I'll work with the governor when I can, but at the end of the day, my district is coming first, and the great people of this great state.”
In April, Warner called for the resignation of Gov. Bill Lee's Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds.
While Lee's proposed state-wide voucher plan failed to garner the votes in the last legislative session, money was set aside for the plan in the 2024 budget and vouchers will once again return to the spotlight when the 114th General Assembly convenes in January.
On Oct. 21, the Williamson County Schools Board of Education rescinded their March resolution opposing the proposed voucher plans, an update that Warner expressed concerns over in a phone call with the Williamson Scene.
Infrastructure
“I'm interested to get with Senator [Mark] Pody (R-Lebanon),” Warner said. “I know he's proposing a bill to put another billion dollars into our transportation fund, and I'm interested to see where that money is going to come from and how we're going to do that. I think it needs to be done.”
Warner reiterated his opposition to the governor's proposed “choice lanes,” something that critics refer to simply as toll roads since drivers will pay a fee to access the new lanes.
“I am not going to support toll roads,” Warner said. ”That's something I will never support.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is prioritizing Interstate 24 between Nashville and Murfreesboro for the first project.
“We've got to make infrastructure a priority, because to me, it looks like we're getting further behind every day.”
Other issues
Warner also voiced concerns over environmental impacts to the Duck River, which earlier this year was named as one of the most endangered rivers in the nation.
Inside Warner's Capitol Hill office is a life-size cutout of former President and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who himself has proposed an education savings account plan.
Warner said he’s “absolutely, 100 percent” behind the former president and that he's not concerned about any of Trump's mounting legal issues, including his federal charges related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the nation’s Capitol.
Warner also brought up the former president's post-Aug. 1 primary remarks calling Gov. Bill Lee a “RINO” which came after Trump-endorsed candidate Bobby Harshbarger defeated Lee-endorsed incumbent District 4 Sen. Jon Lundberg.
“On some issues, [Lee doesn’t] stand as conservative as what he should, and I think President Trump has kind of seen it for what it is,” Warner said.
One of Trump’s key campaign issues is a plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, something that has been echoed by Tennessee Republicans as they push immigration concerns and fears to the front.
Although he has not introduced any legislation on the issue, Warner signaled support for action on immigration from state governments, as well an increased role from state and local law enforcement.
“If the federal government's not going to do their jobs, then we the states need to step up and do it,” Warner said.
“If this problem continues to get worse, [then] I think we have no other choice as states than to start standing up and pushing back. I've got some ideas. I know Representative [Gino] Bulso is working on a pretty comprehensive plan. I want to sit down with him to see what some of his ideas are.”
At times, Warner has also drawn the ire of his fellow Republicans in his attempts to work across the aisle with Democrats.
That was on full display last session when a bipartisan bill that would have created more transparency for sexual harassment investigations in the House quickly died in a Public Service Subcommitte.
“I've got no problem with the Democrats if they've got a good piece of legislation that I can support, I can work across [the aisle],” Warner said. “I think we need to do more of that when they have good legislation.”
Early voting runs from Oct. 16-31, and more information about voting in Williamson County can be found online here.
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