Tennessee House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) filed a bill on Thursday that would prohibit anyone who holds dual citizenship or is not a natural-born U.S. citizen from qualifying as a candidate in federal primary elections.
The bill, filed as House Bill 2036, would amend Tennessee election law to restrict eligibility for candidates in federal primary elections by prohibiting individuals who hold dual citizenship or are non-natural-born U.S. citizens from qualifying as a candidate.
According to its text, the bill defines “dual citizenship” as being legally recognized as a citizen of both the U.S. and another country, and “natural-born citizen” as someone who is a U.S. citizen by birth, either in the U.S. or abroad, to U.S. citizen parents.
In a press release sent to The Tennessee Star, Garrett’s office said the legislation is meant to “reinforce longstanding American principles of citizenship and strengthen public confidence” and “sets a clear and uniform eligibility standard consistent with those established in the U.S. Constitution for the presidency.”
Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution requires a presidential candidate to be a “natural born Citizen.”
“Tennesseans should have full confidence that those serving at the highest levels of government put America first. If you want to represent our state in Washington, being born in the United States should be a basic qualification. That standard already applies to the presidency, and it should apply to all federal offices,” Garrett said in a statement.
“This legislation ensures Tennessee is represented by leaders with an unquestioned allegiance to our nation and do not hold dual citizenship from foreign adversary nations,” he added.
Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) is sponsoring the bill in the Tennessee Senate as Senate Bill 1825.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
