THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS QUESTION – Knox County, We Need to Talk

Reported By

Brian Hornback

Reported On

September 30, 2026

What Happened September 1, 2026 Cannot Simply Be Forgotten

By Brian Hornback
Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committeeman — District 6

Sometimes politics gives you a moment that forces you to ask a much bigger question.

For me, September 1, 2026, was one of those moments.

After serving as the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committeeman for District 6 since 2021, I have had the opportunity to see how Republican organizations operate all across Tennessee.

I’ve watched different counties.

I’ve watched different municipalities.

I’ve talked with Republican activists and elected officials.

And I’ve seen that there isn’t just one way to organize a Republican Party.

But there is one thing I have learned:

If you don’t establish your rules before the fight starts, don’t be surprised when the fight exposes the weaknesses in your organization.

And that brings us to Knox County.

SIX REPUBLICANS. FIVE REPUBLICANS.

On September 1, 2026, the Knox County Commission elected its chair.

Republicans hold the majority.

But when it came time to select the Commission’s leadership, four Democrats joined with one Republican to elect Republican Commissioner Terry Hill as Chair.

The vote was 6–5.

Five Republican commissioners supported Angela Russell.

One Republican supported Hill.

That is what happened.

I’m not interested in pretending it didn’t happen.

I’m also not interested in turning this into a personal attack against any individual commissioner.

The issue is bigger than any one person.

The issue is whether the Knox County Republican Party needs to establish a clear policy concerning how Republican members of partisan governing bodies handle leadership elections.

Because if Republicans are going to campaign as Republicans, organize as Republicans, vote as Republicans and be elected with the Republican designation, then I believe we need to have a serious discussion about whether Republican elected officials should caucus together before choosing the leadership of a governing body where Republicans hold the majority.

LET’S CALL IT WHAT IT IS: A CAUCUS

I’m not talking about telling a Republican commissioner how to vote on every tax increase.

I’m not talking about telling a school board member how to vote on every curriculum issue.

I’m not talking about telling a city council member how to vote on every zoning matter.

Those are policy questions.

Elected officials have constituents.

They have individual responsibilities.

They have their own judgment.

But leadership elections are different.

If six Republicans control a governing body, shouldn’t those six Republicans at least sit down together and determine whom they want to lead?

Shouldn’t the Republican members have the opportunity to discuss the candidates?

Shouldn’t they vote among themselves?

And once the caucus reaches a decision, shouldn’t there be some expectation that the Republican members will stand together?

I think those questions deserve a very serious answer.

KENT WILLIAMS: TENNESSEE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE

This isn’t some wild idea that has never been discussed in Tennessee politics.

Let’s go back to January 13, 2009.

Republicans had a majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Republicans had their preferred candidate for Speaker.

Then Republican Representative Kent Williams broke with his Republican caucus and was elected Speaker with the support of all 49 House Democrats plus his own vote.

Williams became Speaker.

And the Tennessee Republican Party subsequently stripped him of his status as a bona fide Republican.

That isn’t ancient history.

It happened in Tennessee.

And it provides an important example of the question Knox County Republicans should now be willing to discuss:

Does belonging to a Republican caucus mean anything when it comes to choosing leadership?

If the answer is “yes,” then what does it mean?

If the answer is “no,” then what exactly is the purpose of a caucus?

THIS IS WHERE THE REAL DEBATE BEGINS

Suppose Knox County Republicans establish a formal caucus requirement.

Republican members of the County Commission meet.

They discuss the candidates.

They vote.

A majority of the Republican caucus selects its candidate for Chair.

Then the full Commission meets.

What happens if one Republican votes against the caucus decision?

That’s the question.

And I’m going to say something that I know will make some people uncomfortable:

There should be consequences for deliberately undermining your own caucus.

Now, what those consequences should be is a matter for the Republican Party to debate, draft and legally review.

Perhaps the consequence is political.

Perhaps the person loses a party leadership position.

Perhaps there are provisions concerning party recognition.

Perhaps there is a formal process for determining whether someone remains eligible to hold a particular Republican Party position.

But if the answer is simply:

“It doesn’t matter. Everyone can do whatever they want and there are never any consequences,”

then we need to stop calling it a caucus.

That’s not a caucus. That’s a suggestion box.

AND THIS SHOULDN’T JUST APPLY TO COUNTY COMMISSION

If Knox County Republicans decide that a caucus is appropriate, I believe the discussion should extend beyond the Knox County Commission.

What about the Knox County Board of Education?

What about the Knoxville City Council, to the extent applicable under its governing structure and party rules?

If Republicans are elected to a partisan governing body, should those Republican members have a mechanism to caucus on leadership?

That is a question worth asking.

And before someone says, “But they’re elected officials!”

Yes.

They are.

And that’s precisely why this needs to be discussed openly and established before the next leadership fight.

DON’T CHANGE THE RULES AFTER THE GAME

This is perhaps the most important point.

I am not advocating that we create a rule today because we didn’t like what happened on September 1.

I’m saying the September 1 vote gives us a reason to examine our existing structure before the 2027 reorganization.

Knox County Republicans are scheduled to reorganize between January and April 1, 2027.

The county party is then expected to work toward an updated set of bylaws to be submitted through the Tennessee Republican Party process by September 2027.

That is the time to have the discussion.

Not after the next controversial vote.

Not after the next surprise coalition.

Not after Republicans discover they don’t have a mechanism to hold their own elected officials accountable to a caucus decision.

Write the rules first.

Then everybody knows the rules.

I’VE SEEN OTHER COUNTIES DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

This is where my service on the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee has given me a perspective that I didn’t have before 2021.

I’ve become aware of different organizational structures used by Republican organizations throughout Tennessee.

Some counties are extremely organized.

Some have formal procedures.

Some have strong relationships between their county party and elected officials.

Some have caucus structures.

Others operate much more informally.

There isn’t necessarily one cookie-cutter answer.

But Knox County doesn’t have to pretend that we are the only Republican organization in Tennessee.

We can learn from others.

We can look at what works.

We can look at what doesn’t.

And then we can decide what makes sense for Knox County.

THIS IS ABOUT PARTY IDENTITY

Here’s where I believe the discussion gets uncomfortable.

If someone campaigns as a Republican, receives the Republican nomination or designation, uses Republican volunteers, benefits from Republican voters and carries the Republican label into office, what obligations — if any — does that person have to the Republican caucus?

That’s not a question about personality.

It’s not about whether I personally like someone.

It’s not about whether someone is a good person.

It’s about party organization.

Political parties exist because people organize around common principles and common objectives.

If there is absolutely no expectation of unity when it comes to selecting leadership, then we need to ask what party organization actually means.

I’M NOT CALLING FOR BLIND OBEDIENCE

Let me be clear.

I don’t believe Republican elected officials should become robots.

I don’t believe every Republican must vote identically on every issue.

I don’t believe constituents should be ignored.

And I don’t believe disagreement should automatically mean someone is a bad Republican. (Heaven knows, I am too liberal for some and too MAGA for others, which means I am doing a damn good job, Thank You, District 6)

Healthy political organizations can have disagreement.

But leadership elections are about who controls the direction and organization of the governing body.

That is precisely why caucusing makes sense as a concept.

Discuss it.

Debate it.

Vote on it.

Then stand behind the decision.

KNOX COUNTY: IT’S TIME TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION

The September 1 Commission leadership vote exposed a question.

We can ignore that question.

Or we can learn from it.

I’m choosing the latter.

As we move toward the 2027 Knox County Republican Party reorganization, I believe Republicans should openly discuss whether our bylaws should establish a formal caucus process for Republican members of partisan governing bodies.

And if we establish one, we need to answer the next question:

What happens when a Republican member deliberately ignores the caucus decision?

That’s where the rubber meets the road.

Because a rule without enforcement isn’t really a rule.

And a caucus without accountability isn’t really a caucus.

THE MEGA BULLHORN QUESTION

So here’s my question to Knox County Republicans:

Should Republican members of a partisan governing body be required to caucus before leadership elections?

And if the Republican caucus selects its candidate for Chair, Vice Chair or another leadership position, should there be consequences when a Republican member deliberately votes against the caucus?

I believe it is time to have that conversation.

Not behind closed doors.

Not after the next controversy.

Not because of one individual.

But because the rules for tomorrow’s Republican Party should be written today.

I’ve spent more than four decades involved in Republican politics.

I’ve served at the precinct level.

I’ve served as Knox County Republican Party Chairman.

I’ve served on the Knox County School Board.

And since 2021, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee.

I’ve seen a lot of politics.

I’ve seen a lot of personalities.