Brian Kelsey
Brian Kelsey (Republican Party) was a member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 31. He assumed office in 2009. He left office on November 8, 2022.
Kelsey (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Tennessee State Senate to represent District 31. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
Kelsey earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina. He went on to receive his J.D. from Georgetown University. He has worked as an attorney for the Kelsey Firm, PLLC. His professional experiences include working in the Office of the Counsel to President George W. Bush and the United States Senatorial Office of Bill Frist.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Kelsey was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Kelsey was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Education Committee, 1st Vice-Chair
- Finance, Ways and Means Committee
- State & Local Government Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Fiscal Review |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kelsey served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Government Operations |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Government Operations |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Kelsey served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Fiscal Review |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kelsey served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Finance, Ways and Means |
| • Fiscal Review |
| • Judiciary |
| • Rules |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Kelsey served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Government Operations |
Issues
No State Income Tax
Kelsey sponsored a “No State Income Tax” constitutional amendment in 2011 and it passed the Senate in mid-May 2011 by a vote of 26 to 4.
Senate Joint Resolution 221 would clarify a prohibition in the Tennessee Constitution against an income tax and a payroll tax.
The Senate action marks the first victory for the resolution in a series of approvals required under Tennessee’s Constitution before the proposed amendment can be considered by voters on the ballot. The resolution moved to the state House for the first of three successive readings on May 18, 2011.
“Not having a state income tax has already brought jobs to Tennessee,” said Senator Kelsey. “If this amendment passes, we will be able to tell prospective businesses that we will never have an income tax in our state, a condition which will help Tennessee become the number one state in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”[1]
Presidential preference
2012
Brian Kelsey endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[2]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2022
Brian Kelsey did not file to run for re-election.
2018
See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Tennessee State Senate District 31
Incumbent Brian Kelsey defeated Gabby Salinas in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Kelsey (R) | 50.9 | 40,504 |
 | Gabby Salinas (D) | 49.1 | 39,086 | |
| Total votes: 79,590 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31
Gabby Salinas defeated David Weatherspoon and M. Rodanial Ray Ransom in the Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on August 2, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gabby Salinas | 48.0 | 7,737 |
 | David Weatherspoon | 42.7 | 6,890 | |
| M. Rodanial Ray Ransom | 9.3 | 1,499 | ||
| Total votes: 16,126 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31
Incumbent Brian Kelsey advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on August 2, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian Kelsey | 100.0 | 22,767 |
| Total votes: 22,767 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Stephen Lee Fincher did not seek re-election to his seat in 2016. Twenty-one candidates filed in the race to replace him. David Kustoff (R) defeated Rickey Hobson (D), and independents Shelia Godwin, James Hart, Adrian Montague, Mark Rawles, and Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hobson defeated Gregory Alan Frye in the Democratic primary, while Kustoff defeated 12 other candidates in the Republican primary. The primary elections took place on August 4, 2016.[3][4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  David Kustoff |
68.8% | 194,386 | |
| Democratic | Rickey Hobson | 25.1% | 70,925 | |
| Independent | Shelia Godwin | 2.3% | 6,442 | |
| Independent | James Hart | 1.4% | 4,057 | |
| Independent | Adrian Montague | 0.9% | 2,497 | |
| Independent | Mark Rawles | 0.9% | 2,445 | |
| Independent | Karen Free Spirit Talley-Lane | 0.7% | 1,981 | |
| Total Votes | 282,733 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rickey Hobson |
54.8% | 7,774 | ||
| Gregory Frye | 45.2% | 6,413 | ||
| Total Votes | 14,187 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
David Kustoff |
27.4% | 16,889 | ||
| George Flinn Jr. | 23.1% | 14,200 | ||
| Mark Luttrell | 17.7% | 10,878 | ||
| Brian Kelsey | 12.9% | 7,942 | ||
| Brad Greer | 11.1% | 6,819 | ||
| Tom Leatherwood | 4.3% | 2,620 | ||
| Hunter Baker | 1.6% | 1,014 | ||
| Ken Atkins | 0.7% | 410 | ||
| Raymond Honeycutt | 0.4% | 231 | ||
| George Howell | 0.3% | 211 | ||
| David Wharton | 0.2% | 131 | ||
| David Bault | 0.2% | 109 | ||
| David Maldonado | 0.1% | 76 | ||
| Total Votes | 61,530 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State |
||||
2014
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 18 seats in the Tennessee State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. A general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014. Incumbent Brian Kelsey was unopposed in the Republican primary. Kelsey was unopposed in the general election. Jim Tomasik was removed from the candidate list before the Republican primary.[6][7]
2010
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2010
Kelsey was re-elected to the 31st District seat in 2010. He defeated Ivon Faulkner (D) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[8]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 31, General Election 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Brian Kelsey (R)
|
35,267 | |||
| Ivon L. Faulkner (D) | 19,405 | |||
2009
On Dec. 1, 2009, Kelsey won a special election to the 31st District Seat in the Tennessee State Senate, defeating opponent Adrienne Pakis-Gillon (D).[9]
Kelsey raised $19,185 in general contributions for the special election, while Pakis-Gillon raised $19,686.[10]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 31 (2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Brian Kelsey (R)
|
7,120 | |||
| Adrienne Pakis-Gillon (D) | 2,394 | |||
Campaign themes
2016
The following issues were listed on Kelsey's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
| “ |
|
” |
| —Brian Kelsey's campaign website, http://www.votekelsey.com/issues | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Federal indictment (2021)
On October 25, 2021 Kelsey was indicted on charges of violating multiple campaign finance laws.[12] Kelsey allegedly illegally funneled money to his campaign with the help of Nashville social club owner Joshua Smith.[13] In a press conference held on October 25, 2021, Kelsey stated that he was innocent.[14] On November 1, 2021, Kelsey was arraigned in federal court after turning himself in to authorities.[15]
Kelsey changed his plea to guilty on November 22, 2022.[16]
Sentenced to federal prison (2023)
On August 11, 2023, Kelsey was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison by the U.S. District Court in Nashville. [17]
Presidential pardon (2025)
On March 11, 2025, Kelsey received a pardon from President Donald Trump.[18]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Tennessee scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2022
In 2022, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 28.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy.
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on the business community.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 5.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 19.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly was in session January 8 through May 2.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, second session, was in session January 9 to April 27.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, first session, was in session January 10 to May 10.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 12 through April 22
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 13 through April 22.
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2014
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In 2014, the 108th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 14 to April 18.
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2013
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In 2013, the 108th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 8 to April 19.
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2012
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In 2012, the 107th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 10 through May 1.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 107th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 11 to May 21.
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Brian + Kelsey + Tennessee + Senate"
See also
- Tennessee State Legislature
- Tennessee State Senate
- Tennessee State Senate Committees
- Tennessee Joint Committees
- Tennessee state legislative districts
- United States House of Representatives
- Tennessee's 8th Congressional District election, 2016
- Tennessee's 8th Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ TNReport, "Senate Approves Kelsey’s “No State Income Tax” Amendment," May 18, 2011
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Additional Tennessee Legislative Endorsements," February 27, 2012
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Candidate Petitions Filed as of April 7, 2016 Noon Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 8, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Tennessee House Primaries Results," August 4, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "August 7, 2014 Election Results," accessed September 11, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed for State Senate and State House of Representatives," accessed April 5, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2010 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Senate 31 election results," accessed April 18, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Follow the Money, "General Election Results," accessed April 18, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ "Election Law Blog", "State Sen. Brian Kelsey, Nashville club owner indicted in campaign finance conspiracy”, accessed October 27, 2021
- ↑ "TNJ on the Hill", "Read the Kelsey indictment here", accessed October 27, 2021
- ↑ "Election Law Blog", "State Sen. Brian Kelsey, Nashville club owner indicted in campaign finance conspiracy”, accessed October 27, 2021
- ↑ Tennessean, "Sen. Brian Kelsey turns himself in, appears before federal court after indictment," accessed November 24, 2021
- ↑ Lebanon Democrat, "Ex-Tennessee lawmaker pleads guilty to campaign cash scheme," November 26, 2022
- ↑ ‘'New Delhi Times, "Former Tennessee state senator gets 21-month prison sentence for campaign finance cash scheme," August 13, 2023
- ↑ ‘'WSMV Channel 4 (Nashville, Tennessee), "Ex-Tennessee Senator pardoned after sentenced for illegal campaign finance scheme," March 11, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Bar Association, "Nashville Chamber Releases 2015 Legislative Scorecard," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Bar Association, "Nashville Chamber Releases 2015 Legislative Scorecard," accessed November 10, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Tennessee State Senate District 31 2009-2022 |
Succeeded by Brent Taylor (R) |
