December 27, 2025 This morning, 27 dedicated members of the Knox County Republican Party gathered at our headquarters for an engaging roundtable discussion on one of the hottest topics in Tennessee politics: Closed Primaries versus Open Primaries.
The meeting was expertly moderated by Chairman Martin Daniel, with special guests State Senator Dr. Richard Briggs (District 7) and State Representative Dave Wright (District 19) joining the conversation. Also in attendance were Vice Chair Kyle Nahrebne, Secretary Barry Beeler, Former Chair Buddy Burkhardt, and Treasurer Martin Ammons.
I was proud to be there as the Republican State Executive Committeeman for District 6 (Brian Hornback). Unfortunately, several other SEC members—including Jane Chedester, Mayor Terry Frank, Karen Brown, and Tim Hutchison—had prior family commitments and couldn’t join us.
The discussion was lively and passionate, as you’d expect on this issue. At one point, the president of a local faction—often referred to tongue-in-cheek aka parody as the “red shrimp club”— first attempted to record the meeting, I believe primarily because of past incidents where edited clips of Rep. Wright were shared on social media without full context. Chairman Daniel stopped that, then the “red shrimp club” was the only person to raise his voice. Chairman Daniel quickly and firmly regained control of the room. citing past incidents where edited clips of Rep. Wright were shared on social media without full context.
The Current State of Tennessee Primaries
For those unfamiliar, Tennessee operates with open primaries—meaning voters do not register by party affiliation when they sign up to vote. On Election Day, you simply choose which party’s primary ballot you want (Republican or Democratic).
However, state law makes it a Class C misdemeanor to vote in a party’s primary if you’re not a “bona fide” member of that party or if you declare allegiance without intending to affiliate. The challenge? It’s largely unenforceable. Without party registration, poll workers would need intimate knowledge of every voter’s history to issue a legitimate challenge—and that’s simply not practical.
This tension—between protecting party integrity and ensuring broad voter access—lies at the heart of the closed vs. open primary debate. Many grassroots Republicans in Knox County strongly favor moving to fully closed primaries to prevent “party raiding,” while others worry about unintended consequences, like reduced turnout or impacts on legislative majorities.
Today’s roundtable was a great example of healthy intraparty dialogue. These conversations strengthen our party as we head into future elections and work to keep Knox County—and Tennessee— solidly red.
What are your thoughts on closed vs. open primaries? Should Tennessee require party registration to vote in a primary, or keep the system as is? Drop your comments below—I’d love to hear from fellow Republicans across the county and in particular State Senate District 6, Senator Becky Duncan Massey’s district is the same district I represent on the State Executive Committee of the Tennessee Republican Party.
— Brian Hornback
TN Republican State Executive Committeeman, District 6 2021-Current
Former Knox County Republican Party Chairman 2005-2007
Former Knox County School Board Member 2000-2004
