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]
Randy McNally | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McNally in 2018 | |
| 50th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee Speaker of the Tennessee Senate | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2017 | |
| Governor | Bill Haslam Bill Lee |
| Preceded by | Ron Ramsey |
| Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Buzz Elkins |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 33rd district | |
| In office January 9, 1979 – January 13, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | A. Keith Bissell |
| Succeeded by | David Coffey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Rand McNally III January 30, 1944 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Janice McNally |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Memphis (BS) University of Tennessee, Memphis (MPharm) |
| Website | Government website |
Early life and education
editMcNally 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.[citation needed]
Career
editBeginning 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
editMcNally 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
editIn 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".[14][16]
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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TN State Senate 05 Race - Nov 04, 1986". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ a b https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/24356/randy-mcnally#.XL6ooehKjIU "Randy McNally's Biography - Vote Smart.
- ^ "Senator James 'Randy' R McNally biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ Sher, Andy (January 11, 2017). "Tennessee's new Senate Speaker Randy McNally pledges continued progress". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Ebert, Joel (January 10, 2017). "Ron Ramsey departs, Randy McNally officially becomes lieutenant governor". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Archives/House/91GA/Publications/web journ 1979/01091979od1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Business of politics changed after FBI sting". Chattanooga Times Free Press. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
- ^ "Squabble Over State Spending on Local Projects Slows Down Budget Talks". Missouri News Horizon. April 26, 2012.
- ^ Ebert, Joel (January 10, 2020). "Ron Ramsey departs, Randy McNally officially becomes lieutenant governor". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Randy McNally has been re-elected at Tennessee Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Senate". January 11, 2023.
- ^ Sauter, Danica (February 17, 2023). "'I'm back': Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says after recovering from heart surgery". www.wsmv.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ Mojica, A.; Whittington, J. (March 8, 2023). "Tennessee Lt. Governor McNally's Instagram account commented on man's photos". WZTV. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally faces criticism for comments on young man's mature Instagram photos". MSN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ Matisse, Jonathan (March 10, 2023). "GOP leader's LGBTQ social media activity called hypocrisy". Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally responds on his Instagram commenting habits". News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF). March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Call for resignation of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally after social media controversy". WKRN News 2. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Melissa (March 20, 2023). "Lt. Gov. Randy McNally survives confidence vote in Senate after Instagram controversy". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
Further reading
edit- 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.
External links
edit
- Senator Randy McNally, Tennessee General Assembly website
- Senator James Randy McNally, Project Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN