Knox News Column on speculation that US Sen Bill Hagertry wants to be TVA CEO + more electoral speculation

[neillh...@earthlink.net]

Does Sen. Bill Hagerty want to be CEO of TVA? He won't say | Opinion

Victor Ashe

Shopper News columnist

• U.S. Sen Bill Hagerty could have his eye on leaving the Senate to become CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Michaela Barnett, Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, has officially kicked off her campaign.
• The entire video of the appearance of Knoxville City Council candidates Nathan Honeycutt and Melody Watts before the West HIlls Community Association may be viewed online.

Does U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty want to be named the permanent CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority? He avoids answering this question, which triggers speculation statewide about whether he wants to leave the Senate.

 

Hagerty has not secured an appointment to any Cabinet-level position by President Donald Trump despite trying. Trump fired four TVA Board of Directors members and has nominated five others − none of whom are women − including Knoxville's Jeff Hagood, who is an attorney.

Hagerty and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn have been vocal about replacing the current board in a speedy fashion.

It would not be a shock if Hagerty were chosen to be CEO by the new Trump-appointed board. (The TVA position would be a huge increase in salary for Hagerty, who would be paid $8 million a year from his current $185,000 annually.)

 

However, if this happened, Gov. Bill Lee would have a U.S. Senate appointment to make this fall before we know the outcome of Blackburn's 2026 run for governor. Whomever Lee appoints would have to run for the full Hagerty term, which is up for election anyway in November 2026. Lee could appoint any Tennessean who is at least 30 years old, including himself or his wife.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

If Lee appointed himself, then Lt. Gov. Randy McNally would become governor. The history of governors who name themselves to the Senate is not promising for winning the election afterwards, as voters do not approve. Lee would likely name another prominent Republican.

 

Michaela Barnett, Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, had her campaign kickoff event Sept. 27 with more than 250 people attending in South Knoxville. While she faces a steep climb to be competitive with U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, her turnout was impressive as they were mostly people new to the political process. How many of these Barnett supporters voted in the city primary Aug. 28, when turnout did not reach 15%?

 

The congressional election is a year away in November 2026, while this year's primary election for Knoxville City Council and the referendum to raise the city sales tax is coming up soon on Nov. 4 (early voting is already happening). No Democratic opponent of Burchett has exceeded 35% of the vote since he was first elected in 2018.

The difference this time may be Trump and major cutbacks in federal spending. Burchett has abandoned his strong anti-deficit voting record by voting for the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which adds billions to the national debt.

 

In addition, Burchett has antagonized many Republicans who prefer a calmer and more thoughtful approach to government. Burchett also wants to go to the Senate should Blackburn be elected governor in 2026, as do Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. Jacobs is the likely Blackburn choice, as Jacobs abandoned his own unofficial race for governor to back Blackburn.

Barnett, 32, promises to "put hope to work," but one is hard pressed to translate that slogan into a meaningful description of how she would vote if elected. She will need to move beyond slogans and outline specific steps she would take. Burchett is not regarded as a thoughtful, informed lawmaker.

 

The Nathan Honeycutt campaign has posted the entire video of his appearance before the West Hills Community Association with Melody Watts on his campaign website. It is at nathanforknoxville.com (the entire forum also can be found at knoxnews.com). Watts declined to do an interview with Knox News while Honeycutt and every other candidate for Knoxville office did. Watts has avoided most public appearances in this campaign.

 

In November,Ijams Nature Center willcelebrate 50 years of work that has made a real difference in our community for education about nature. Visit them often.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News.