Shakeup in House GOP leadership

By Ken Whitehouse, NashvillePost.com
December 12, 2006

State Reps. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) and Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) are out; State Reps. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) and Glen Casada (R-Franklin) are in.

In what was expected to be a close race for who would lead the House Republicans in the next legislative session, the Republican caucus voted this morning to oust Minority Leader Dunn and Caucus Chair Sargent for Mumpower and Casada, respectively.

Mumpower, a protégé of Senate Majority Leader Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville), will be the new Minority Leader and is expected to be a more aggressive adversary to Democrats in the legislature headed by Speaker Jimmy Nafieh (D-Tiptonville).

With Dunn's defeat, this is the second day in a row that Knoxville-area Republicans have lost out on leadership battles. Yesterday, State Sen. Randy McNally was defeated as caucus chair of the Senate Republicans by State Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville).

Also losing out today is Sargent, who at times has been accused of being too cordial to House Democrats. Sargent fell to the personally affable but politically combative Casada, who ended the six-year run of his colleague in the leadership. Both Sargent and Casada are from Franklin.

With the election of Mumpower and Casada, Hill-watchers expect a more aggressive minority in the next legislative session.