Randy McNally, the longtime Republican lawmaker and leader of the Tennessee Senate since 2017, will not seek reelection in 2026. McNally made the announcement early Thursday. McNally is from Oak Ridge. He will continue serving until January, 2027 when is successor will assume the role.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent the people of my community and serve the people of Tennessee. It is with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude that I announce I will not be a candidate for the state Senate in 2026,” he said on his social media. “My public service has been a team effort every step of the way. I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated.”
“It’s partly due to my wife and my physical conditions,” McNally said. “We both realized that our paths are kind of short, and this gives us more time to spend together.”
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson from Williamson County is expected to seek to succeed McNally. Other State Senators who may be interested in either the Lt. Governor position or replacing Johnson as Majority Leader include, but may not be limited to, Senators Brent Taylor, Paul Bailey and Ferrell Haile.
McNally, 82, was first elected to the State House in 1978 after being elected to the state Senate after four terms. He sought the Lt. Governorship in 2007 but was defeated by Senator Ron Ramsey. On January 10, 2017, he was elected lieutenant governor and Senate Speaker by his fellow state senators.
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, leading to several indictments and convictions.
Steve Gill is editor and publisher of TriStar Daily.
