Kerry Roberts

Last updated
Kerry Roberts
Senator Kerry Roberts.jpg
Roberts in 2017
Member of the Tennessee Senate
Assumed office
January 13, 2015

Roberts announced his campaign for re-election to the Tennessee Senate on May 15, 2013. [18] On September 24, 2013, Representative Joshua Evans of Greenbrier, TN, announced that he was running against Roberts. [19] Other candidates included Tony Gross, Jim Summerville, and Wayne White. [20] Roberts won the August 7, 2014, Republican primary with 42.16 percent of the vote in a highly-contest primary. Representative Joshua Evans (Greenbrier) came in second with 37.82 percent, followed by incumbent Senator Jim Summerville (Dickson) at 15.87 percent, and businessman Wayne White (Dickson) at 4.15 percent. [21] In the November 4, 2014, general election, Roberts defeated Democratic Party nominee Tony Gross with 70.43 percent of the vote, compared to Gross' 29.57 percent. [22]

2018

In 2018, Roberts ran for re-election to the Tennessee Senate. He was unopposed in the August 2, 2018, Republican primary. On November 6, he won re-election with 11,392 votes. He defeated Democrat Wade Munday who only had 4,757 votes. [23]

Controversies

Higher education

In September 2019 on his weekly talk radio show, The Kerry Roberts Show, Roberts made national news when he claimed that higher education should be abolished to limit the "liberal breeding ground." [24] The Tennessee Star Report on Nashville's Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC welcomed Roberts to discuss his “hyperbole which was misunderstood by the liberal mainstream media” and incorrectly reported as a policy statement. [25]

Roberts’ website posted “His voting record demonstrates consistent support of higher education including the vote to make Tennessee one of the first states in the nation to provide two years of free college or technical education to high school graduates.” [26]

Protestors

In August 2020 during a special legislative session, Roberts was surrounded by protestors in Nashville. The Washington Post berated Roberts for complaining. [27] In a response published by Gannett, Roberts said those in the national media missed his point: he was defending the right of the protestors to protest. [28]

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References

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  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2014-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "National News". WLAC. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  4. "Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy is broadcast on Nashville's Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am". Tennessee Star. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  5. "State Senator 'races' awareness for flood victims". WBBJ TV. 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  6. 1 2 "Senate webpage". Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  7. "Senator Kerry Roberts | Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus". Archived from the original on 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  8. "Update - Senator Kerry Roberts Remains Hospitalized". Smokey Barn News. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  9. BERGHOLZ, WILLIAM (5 January 2021). "Sen. Kerry Roberts – getting back to life after a brain hemorrhage". Robertson County Connection. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  10. Roberts, Kerry. "Waverly and nearby areas hurt by flooding still need help. Here's what I'm doing. | Opinion". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2020-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. SUBMITTED (4 February 2019). "Roberts appointed to lead Senate Government Operations Committee". Robertson County Connection. Retrieved 2020-02-20.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. "Tennessee Senate, House agree to fully fund Katie Beckett waiver". Johnson City Press. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  14. "Support a Fresh Start After Incarceration". action.aclu.org. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  15. "Tennessee General Assembly Legislation". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
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  17. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2014-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. "Re-election Announcement May 15, 2013 - Friends of Kerry Roberts". Archived from the original on 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  19. Humphrey, Tom (2013-09-24). "Evans announces for Senate Dist. 25; Roberts touts fundraising - Humphrey on the Hill". Knoxblogs.com. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  20. Tennessee Ticket (2012-11-06). "Tennessee Senate (2012) – Tennessee Ticket". Tennesseeticket.com. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  21. "Tennessee Election Results". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
  22. "Tennessee Election Results". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
  23. "Dickson Co. final election results: Lee, Blackburn, GOP dominate". The Tennessean. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  24. "It was a joke, says Tennessee senator who said colleges should be banned". NBC News. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  25. "Senator Kerry Roberts Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About How Mainstream Media Can't Distinguish Between Reality and Hyperbole". Tennessee Star. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  26. "Senator Kerry Roberts". Senator Kerry Roberts. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  27. "Opinion | The fragile flowers of Tennessee's GOP legislature contravene a basic right". The Washington Post. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  28. "Protesters have a right to speak, but shouting won't get people in power to listen | Opinion". The Tennessean .