Randy McNally
50th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee
Speaker of the Tennessee Senate
Assumed office
January 10, 2017
GovernorBill Haslam
Bill Lee
Preceded byRon Ramsey
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 5th district
Assumed office
January 13, 1987
Preceded byBuzz Elkins
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 33rd district
In office
January 9, 1979 – January 13, 1987
Preceded byA. Keith Bissell
Succeeded byDavid Coffey
Personal details
Born
James Rand McNally III

(1944-01-30) January 30, 1944
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJanice McNally
Children2
EducationUniversity of Memphis (BS)
University of Tennessee,
Memphis (MPharm)
WebsiteGovernment website

James Rand McNally III (born January 30, 1944) is an American politician. He is the 50th lieutenant governor of Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, he has been the state senator from the 5th district since 1987.[1][2]

Early life and education

McNally was born in Boston,[3] Massachusetts and later graduated from Oak Ridge High School, Tennessee in 1962, obtained a Bachelor of Science (BS) from Memphis State University in 1967, and graduated from University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1969.

Career

Beginning in the late 1960s, he worked as a pharmacist in chain drug stores. In 1978, he began employment as a hospital pharmacist at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.[4][5] McNally has served in the Tennessee General Assembly since 1979.[6][7] He was elected to the 91st through 94th General Assemblies as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was a key figure in the Operation Rocky Top investigation in the late 1980s, when he worked undercover to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation obtain evidence on political corruption in the Tennessee state government.[8]

He moved to the State Senate for the 95th General Assembly in 1987 and has served there continuously since then.[9] McNally was a candidate for lieutenant governor and Speaker of the Senate in 2007, but fellow Republican Ron Ramsey was elected. On January 10, 2017, he was elected lieutenant governor and Senate Speaker by the state senate.[10]

Personal life

McNally is Roman Catholic.[3] He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters.[11]

In February 2023, McNally underwent emergency heart surgery after having symptoms of an irregular heartbeat. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center installed a pacemaker for McNally. He returned to the Tennessee Senate one week later.[12]

Instagram controversy

In March 2023, it was reported McNally had used his verified Instagram account to ‘like’ and comment on sexually suggestive social media posts on the Instagram account of a 20-year-old gay man.[13][14] Various LGBT groups criticized McNally and accused him of hypocrisy, due to his support for socially conservative laws, including the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act.[15] A spokesman for McNally stated he “enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations on social media" and "has no intention of stopping."[16][14]

About a week later, state Rep. Todd Warner released a statement calling on McNally to step down and accusing him of being a predator.[17] A meeting of the Senate GOP caucus voted to retain McNally as speaker.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Schelzig, Eric (January 10, 2017). "McNally new Tennessee Senate speaker; Harwell wins in House". WRCB TV. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Our Campaigns - TN State Senate 05 Race - Nov 04, 1986". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  3. 1 2 https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/24356/randy-mcnally#.XL6ooehKjIU "Randy McNally's Biography - Vote Smart.
  4. ↑ "Senator James 'Randy' R McNally biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  5. ↑ Sher, Andy (January 11, 2017). "Tennessee's new Senate Speaker Randy McNally pledges continued progress". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  6. ↑ Ebert, Joel (January 10, 2017). "Ron Ramsey departs, Randy McNally officially becomes lieutenant governor". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Archives/House/91GA/Publications/web%20journ%201979/01091979od1.pdf
  8. ↑ "Business of politics changed after FBI sting". Chattanooga Times Free Press. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Squabble Over State Spending on Local Projects Slows Down Budget Talks". Missouri News Horizon. April 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ Ebert, Joel (January 10, 2020). "Ron Ramsey departs, Randy McNally officially becomes lieutenant governor". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Randy McNally has been re-elected at Tennessee Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Senate". 11 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Sauter, Danica (17 February 2023). "'I'm back': Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says after recovering from heart surgery". www.wsmv.com. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  13. ↑ Mojica, A.; Whittington, J. (March 8, 2023). "Tennessee Lt. Governor McNally's Instagram account commented on man's photos". WZTV. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally faces criticism for comments on young man's mature Instagram photos". MSN. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  15. ↑ Matisse, Jonathan (10 March 2023). "GOP leader's LGBTQ social media activity called hypocrisy". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally responds on his Instagram commenting habits". News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF). March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Call for resignation of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally after social media controversy". WKRN News 2. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  18. ↑ Brown, Melissa (March 20, 2023). "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally survives confidence vote in Senate after Instagram controversy". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-03-23.

Further reading

  • Sandra Roberts, Before Tennessee Waltz, there was Rocky Top. The Tennessean, June 5, 2005.
  • Larry Daughtrey, Lieutenant governor's contest may be a mystery worth decoding. The Tennessean. May 28, 2006.
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