At the Pachyderm Club meeting Monday night at Lillie Mae’s in Red Bank, Hamilton County Republicans worried the local party will be chopped apart. Members of the audience aired their concerns with newly elected Hamilton County Republican Party Chairwoman Gail Greene.
Republican incumbents have been undermined via a “star chamber,” said one. Five-term state Rep. Patsy Hazlewood lost to newcomer Michele Reneau in 2024. Longtime party pillar former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond lost to Ms. Greene, who won 213 of 317 total votes with her Activate Hamilton slate.
Ms. Greene answered that the party does aim to regain ground “where we have ceded ground.”
Another asked Ms. Greene to comment on accusations that she violated local party bylaws by publicly opposing SB 0799 in her position as chairwoman, a bill co-sponsored by Chattanooga Republican Senator Todd Gardenhire and supported by some local Republicans.
Since Ms. Green’s election, there has been discussion over the campaign organization’s role in promoting Republican candidates and values, from moderate to extreme, and dissent. Ms. Greene bristled at this question.
“We have not violated those bylaws,” she said, and said Senator Gardenhire does not have the power to revoke the local party’s charter if he finds her activism to be outside the norm.
“Holding elected officials accountable is my responsibility,” Ms. Greene said. She said the GOP website takes clear stances on illegal immigration and the sanctity of human life, for example.
“We are going to speak out on those things,” she said.
A third asked Ms. Greene if she also represents moderate Republicans.
“I think it’s important that we represent the majority of the party,” Ms. Greene said. She said 80 to 90 percent of the party share the same views.
But she addressed career officials who have worked to frame the party. “They are important and there is a place at the table,” she said.
Earlier in her talk, Ms. Greene outlined goals for her two-year term.
She vowed to bolster the conservative grassroots network, uniting Republicans and driving action. She will support current officials and challenge Democratic strongholds “including Red Bank.”
She pledged to usher in regular reports on party spending and legislative action.
“We will hold elected officials accountable to conservative values,” she said.
She said she will strengthen election integrity by eliminating crossover voting by Democrats in Republican primaries, a problem she has said an existing law would fix if enforced.
Finally, “We will defend life and the Second Amendment,” she said.
Ms. Greene told the Bible story of the persistent widow whose judge did not understand her request but yielded to it because he was tired of listening to her – Ms. Greene’s inspiration for bringing change.
“I truly believe each of us has a persistent widow inside of us,” she said.
Ms. Greene is from Texas and earned a degree in social work and a Master of Education from the University of Mississippi, where she also coached volleyball and softball. She and her family moved to the Chattanooga area from Nashville during the pandemic.
She attended the Lincoln Day Dinner with Senator Bo Watson in 2021 and saw a world of activism she liked. For four and a half years she has traveled weekly to Nashville to report on legislative activity and carve out action points, later as the legislative liaison for Chattanooga Republican Women.
Ms. Greene and her husband are raising five biological children and one foster child, all under the age of 14.
Upcoming Events:
April 21: County-wide GOP community meeting at Greenway Farm Conference Center, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Learn about and join a new committee: bylaws, election, education, special events, fundraising, young people, communications and legislation, among others. Ms. Greene also plans to organize the county into precincts with their own accessible leaders.
May 2: Armed Forces Day. Ms. Greene proposed that all Republican organizations walk together in the parade for impact.