Williamson County GOP Divide Grows as Party Election Contested

This story has been updated.

The fractured Williamson County Republican Party is struggling with unity in the immediate aftermath of its 2025 reorganization convention. The slate of candidates calling themselves The Williamson County Conservatives, who lost their March 4 bid for leadership, is now contesting the results of the election and seeking a new convention.

“We have concluded that there are ample reasons and evidence that would lead any honest and objective person to question the legitimacy of the WCRP election and ask that the results be vacated,” the Williamson County Conservatives said in a social media post.

As previously reported, Steve Hickey was elected chairman and led the Elevate 2025 slate of candidates, which secured every position in party leadership, defeating the Williamson County Conservatives, led by Williamson County Commissioner Brian Clifford. Some of the Elevate candidates previously held leadership roles under previous chairman Tracy Miller.

The Williamson County Conservatives alleged numerous violations of party bylaws, including disputing the procedures in setting the date, time and location of the convention; public access to the meeting of Contest and Credentials Committee; improper voting for chairman and the general operation of the convention; chain of custody issues and “spoiled ballots”; and the presence of some 300 non-delegates at the convention. The entire statement with all of the Williamson County Conservatives grievances can be read online here.

The group aims to have the results of the election vacated and for a new convention to be held that is “run by unbiased and impartial Republicans who do not have a stake in the outcome of the contests – other than ensuring that the Williamson County Republican Party has fair, honest, secure elections for its Chairman and Executive Committee to ensure their legitimacy.”

The Williamson Scene previously spoke with a representative from the Tennessee State Executive Committee who oversaw the vote and confirmed the results following a recount of the chair position on March 4.

“There were so many irregularities and issues with that election that it left no choice but to file a contest for us to be able to review it and have that discussion with the state party about how this election was conducted,” Clifford told reporters on Monday. “There were issues almost out of the gate that we were tracking and bringing to the attention of the state party, and no action was taken, even [in] the weeks leading up to it, and so we tracked those issues and then the night of the election, we continued to notice issues as the evening unfolded.”

The Williamson County Conservatives will now file a brief with the state party, with the Elevate 2025 slate able to rebut the allegations.

“While they make multiple claims that the bylaws were violated, the fact remains that the convention was conducted in full accordance with the bylaws and in coordination with the Tennessee Republican Party,” WCRP said in a social media post. “We remain confident in the integrity of the process and look forward to hearing from the Tennessee GOP to clear up any confusion. It is our priority to move forward in unity, advancing the goals of grassroots conservative Republicans in Williamson County.”

Hickey declined to offer any additional comment to the Williamson Scene.

On March 4, Hickey told reporters following Elevate’s win that his first task as party leader would be working to bridge the internal divide and bring party members together. 

On Monday night, Clifford said that Hickey reached out to him in an email after the election, but that they had yet to speak. On Wednesday night, Hickey said that he and Clifford have since been in communication with each other.

Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified a representative from the Tennessee State Executive Committee. We apologize for the error.