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Ron Ramsey
Ron Ramsey (b. November 20, 1955, in Johnson City, Tennessee) is a former member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing Senate District 4 from 1997 to 2017. He served as speaker of the Senate from 2007 to 2017. In his capacity as speaker, he also served as Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee.
Ramsey did not seek re-election to the Tennessee State Senate in 2016.[1]
Biography
Ramsey graduated from Sullivan Central High School during 1973, and later obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in 1978, majoring in Industrial Technology at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.[2] He is a member of the advisory board of the Farm Credit Association, a former president of the Blountville Business Association, and a former president and current member of the Bristol TN-VA Association of Realtors. He has also worked as a real estate broker and an auctioneer.[2]
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee (2007-2017)
Ramsey led the GOP takeover of the Senate, succeeding long-term Democratic Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder in 2007. Unlike most states, the lieutenant governor is not elected by voters but instead elected by the state General Assembly. Ramsey garnered all of the GOP senators and one Democratic senator, Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville, in the vote for lieutenant governor. In doing so, he became the first Republican speaker in the state in 140 years. He also held the title of longest serving Republican speaker in Tennessee history.[2]
On March 16, 2016, Ramsey announced he would not seek re-election to the state senate in 2016. He stepped down in January 2017 when the winner of the 2016 election was inaugurated.[1]
Tennessee State Senate (1996-2016)
Ramsey served in the Tennessee State Senate from 1996 to 2016. He represented the 4th district. From 2007-2016, Ramsey served as speaker of the senate.[2]
Tennessee House of Representatives (1990-1996)
Ramsey previously served in the General Assembly as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1990-1996.[2]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Ramsey served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Delayed Bills, Chair |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Ramsey served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Delayed Bills, Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Ramsey served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Delayed Bills, Chair |
Issues
Role in judicial retention election
Ramsey played an active role in opposing the retention of three Tennessee Supreme Court judges in the primary election on August 7, 2014. He argued in interviews with local media that voters had the right to vote yes or no for retention, though he hoped to see Cornelia Clark, Gary R. Wade and Sharon Lee out of office in favor of Republican-appointed judges. Clark, Wade and Lee were appointed by former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen. Ramsey's efforts included presentations to business and victims' rights groups claiming that the judges were "soft on crime."[3] All three judges were retained by voters on August 7.[4]
Support for judicial selection measure
Ramsey has also joined with Gov. Bill Haslam in supporting Amendment 2, a proposed constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot that would require confirmation of state judicial nominees by the Tennessee State Legislature. In an interview with Nashville Scene, Ramsey argued that his anti-retention stance in the supreme court race would not impact voter approval of Amendment 2:
| “ |
Q: The governor yesterday say he is worried that the campaign to defeat the three incumbent justices might “muddy the waters,” his words, on his “Yes on 2” campaign. You disagree, presumably? RAMSEY: I have not talked to the governor about this but I cannot connect the dots on that one. If anything, if we have a true election — as the supreme court has said retention elections are and the people get the right to either retain or not retain — that legitimizes the retention election process. And in my opinion, in the end, will actually help the amendment pass, not hurt the amendment. I cannot understand any argument where it actually hurts it. I don’t. Now, I have not talked to the governor about this. I read it in the news accounts, and I will, I just haven’t had a chance yet. But I cannot understand that argument at all. |
” |
| —Nashville Scene, (2014) | ||
Health Care Compact
Ramsey announced his support for the Health Care Compact on February 7, 2011.
Tax relief exemption
Lt. Gov. Ramsey and Sen. Ken Yager co-sponsored a bill to raise the standard exemption on the Hall Tax in 2011. Gov. Bill Haslam included the measure in his 2011 budget plan.
The Hall Tax relief included in the budget applies to Tennesseans age 65 and older. Of the individuals who pay the Hall Tax, 48 percent are age 65 and older.
“We tell middle class folks to save and invest for their retirement and then we punish them for it by taxing their nest egg,” said Ramsey. “Working men and women of modest means who have saved wisely should not have to see their hard-earned dollars taxed. This exemption will aid middle class people who live modestly get a break on their hard earned savings.”
“I am delighted Governor Haslam has included Hall Tax relief for senior citizens in his supplemental budget plan,” said Senator Yager. “This was part of my platform when I ran for State Senate; therefore, I am very pleased that it was included in the Governor’s budget. This puts the bill in excellent shape moving into the final days of this legislative session and making this tax relief closer to reality for many senior citizens across Tennessee.”[7]
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
2016
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Tennessee State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 4, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 7, 2016. Incumbent Ron Ramsey (R) did not seek re-election.
Jon Lundberg ran unopposed in the Tennessee State Senate District 4 general election.[8][9]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Jon Lundberg (unopposed) | |
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State | ||
Jon Lundberg defeated Tony Shipley, Neal Kerney and John Paul Blevins in the Tennessee State Senate District 4 Republican primary.[10][11]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 4 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jon Lundberg |
55.21% | 7,019 | |
| Republican | Tony Shipley | 21.11% | 2,684 | |
| Republican | Neal Kerney | 20.68% | 2,629 | |
| Republican | John Paul Blevins | 3.00% | 381 | |
| Total Votes | 12,713 | |||
2012
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2012
Ramsey ran in the 2012 election for Tennessee State Senate District 4. Ramsey ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 2, 2012. He was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[12]
2010
- See also: Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2010
In 2010 Ramsey made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Tennessee, coming in third in the primary.[13]
| 2010 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[14] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Bill Haslam (R)
|
47.5% | |||
| Joe Kirkpatrick (R) | 0.9% | |||
| Basil Marceaux(R) | 0.5% | |||
| Ron Ramsey (R) | 22.0% | |||
| Zach Wamp | 29.1% | |||
| Total votes | 717,038 | |||
2008
On Nov. 4, 2008, Ramsey won re-election to the 2nd District Seat in the Tennessee State Senate, defeating opponent Bill Jones(D).[15]
Ramsey raised $260,823 for his campaign while Jones raised $6,633.[16]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 2 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Ron Ramsey (R)
|
48,774 | |||
| Bill Jones (D) | 18,292 | |||
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.
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.
2016
In 2016, the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 12 through April 22
- Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee: 2015-2016 scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on fiscal legislation.
- Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: 2016 Scorecard
- Legislators are scored by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce on "issues in the chamber’s four key policy baskets: Business-friendly environment, workforce development, quality of life and regional efforts to encourage economic prosperity."[17]
- Tennessee Conservation Voters: 2016 Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to conservation and environmental issues.
- Tennessee National Federation of Independent Business: 2016 voting record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- The American Conservative Union: 2016 scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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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
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ron Ramsey Tennessee Lieutenant Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Tennessee | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Office of the Tennessee Lieutenant Governor
- Project Vote Smart Legislative Profile
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions, 1996-2012
- Voting record from Tennessee Votes.org
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Tennessean, "Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey will not seek re-election," March 16, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee, "Meet Ron Ramsey" accessed November 12, 2012
- ↑ InsuranceNews.net, "Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Barker claims some in state GOP targeting Democrat justices," May 8, 2014
- ↑ Election Law Blog, "“Tennesseans vote to retain Supreme Court justices”," August 7, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nashville Scene, "Q&A: Ron Ramsey On His Controversial Push Against Supreme Court," May 9, 2014
- ↑ TNReport, "Ramsey Expects New Hall Tax Relief Exemption for Seniors to Win Approval," May 17, 2011
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2016," accessed November 11, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2016 general election results - Tennessee State Senate," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Candidate Petitions Filed as of April 8, 2016 Noon Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "August 4, 2016 Unofficial Election Results," accessed August 4, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2012 List of Candidates," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, " August 6, 2010 Republican primary," accessed June 17, 2013
- ↑ Tennessee Department of State, "Unofficial Results of t he 2010 Primary: Governor - Republican," accessed August 6, 2010
- ↑ Tennessee Department of State, "Election Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "General Election Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ 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 Mike Faulk (R) |
Tennessee State Senate District 4 2012-2016 |
Succeeded by Jon Lundberg (R) |
| Preceded by John S. Wilder (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee 2007-2017 |
Succeeded by Randy McNally (R) |
| Preceded by NA |
Tennessee State Senate District 2 September 1995-2012 |
Succeeded by Doug Overbey (R) |
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State of Tennessee Nashville (capital) |
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