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Tenn. House GOP nominates Jason Mumpower for speaker

Published December 1st, 2008 | 0 Comments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- State Rep. Jason Mumpower is one step closer to being elected Tennessee's first Republican House speaker in four decades after his GOP colleagues unanimously nominated him for the chamber's top post on Monday.

Mumpower, of Bristol, said he is confident the caucus will hold together to elect him speaker when the Legislature convenes in January despite only holding a one-vote majority.

"I think we're as united as we've ever been," Mumpower, 35, told reporters after the caucus vote.

The House speaker is responsible for deciding the makeup and leadership of committees that control the fate of legislative proposals. The speaker can vote on bills before any panel.

Republicans gained four seats to take a 50-49 advantage in last month's elections, giving them the numbers to elect a GOP speaker for the first time since 1969. Mumpower in a speech to fellow Republicans acknowledged the challenges of a one-seat advantage.

"I know all of us would like a broader majority than 50, but ... it shows the importance of each person to this event, to this point in history," he said. "We would not be a majority without every single person here."

Current Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, a Covington Democrat, has vowed to run again despite his party's numerical disadvantage. Naifeh's 18-year grip on the top post makes him the longest-serving House speaker in Tennessee history.

But Naifeh's chances of persevering may have been dealt a blow by the election of Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers Crossroads, as the GOP choice for speaker pro tempore.

McDaniel in the past has been among the handful of Republicans to vote for Naifeh as speaker. Naifeh was not immediately available for comment, said spokesman Addison Pate.

Rep. Frank Niceley, a Strawberry Plains Republican who unsuccessfully challenged McDaniel, said he had been discouraged from seeking the No. 2 spot because of an arrangement between moderate and conservative Republicans.

"They came to me and said 'Frank you've get to get out of this race,'" Niceley said after the vote. "'There is no deal, but if you don't get out of the race, you're going to mess up the deal.'"

Niceley didn't say who had told him about a possible deal.

Niceley had urged lawmakers to reject McDaniel because of his votes for Naifeh and for supporting past tax increases. He called McDaniel a "man who votes for the other team, who votes for the taxes and doesn't stick with us when the going gets tough."

McDaniel said after the secret ballot that he didn't listen to Niceley's speech and that he had no comment on his allegations.

Mumpower wouldn't say whether he had made any deals with McDaniel and moderate Republicans, which candidate he supported, or if Niceley's speech contradicted the goal of unifying the caucus.

"That's not for me to have anything to say anything about," he said. "I'm for us being in the majority. The elections are over."

Nicely defended his strong statements about McDaniel.

"If you get this crowd together and you get this podium, why not make a strong statement?" he said. "I felt like I said something. I don't know if anybody was listening, but I said something."

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