Aaron Gulbransen with the Tennessee Conservatives Coalition praised Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) as the “most effective and consequential” state lawmaker in Tennessee history amid Johnson being honored as “Legislator of the Year” by the physician advocacy group Do No Harm.
This week, Johnson was named Legislator of the Year by Do No Harm, alongside Indiana State Senator Tyler Johnson, M.D., who received the award for Outstanding Leadership for Merit in Medicine, and Kansas State Senator Beverly Gossage, who received recognition for Outstanding Leadership for Stopping the Harm.
On Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Gulbransen credited Johnson with leading landmark conservative legislative victories for the Volunteer State, most notably the law banning gender-transition surgeries, hormone therapies, and puberty blockers for minors, which went on to be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
He emphasized that without Johnson’s leadership and collaboration with House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), such legislation would not have happened.
“The Skrmetti case doesn’t happen without Jack Johnson and of course William Lamberth, his counterpart in the house. They all have to work together, and so they are protecting Tennessee’s children. As long as we never let the state either go crazy or go blue, it’s a law that will last and stand the test of time and is a model for the nation,” Gulbransen said.
“This is just one of many things that senate majority leader Jack Johnson has done,” he added.
Gulbransen went on to list other major legislative achievements tied to Johnson’s influence, including a recently-passed law allowing the death penalty for child rapists, making Tennessee a leader in combating human trafficking, and fighting illegal immigration.
“Because of Jack, our state allows for child rapists to be eligible for the death penalty. We are a leader in fighting child and human trafficking. We’ve established an office designed to work with president Trump, and, if we ever unfortunately wind up with a Democrat president, still fight the good fight against criminal illegal aliens, all illegal immigration,” he said.
Gulbransen also credited Johnson for his leadership in helping pass and launch the Tennessee Education Freedom Act, which he said is “vital” to protecting children from ideological indoctrination in public schools.
“School choice is very important because It’s about giving kids a good education and not being indoctrinated in woke crazy schools. I know occasionally some people don’t like saying that out loud, but that’s what they’re dealing with in public schools, and it happens over and over again. That is vitally important,” he said.
Gulbransen concluded by framing Johnson’s policy agenda as consistently focused on safeguarding children and securing the future of the state.
“The common thread here is it’s all about protecting the future, protecting kids,” he said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “State Sen. Jack Johnson” by State Sen. Jack Johnson.
