Washed Up 45 Endorsed Candidate Booted Off The Ballot!

Republican candidate booted from the Tennessee GOP for carpetbagging.

When you can't name the main freeways in Nashville-Davidson Count, you pretty much fucked! The city of Nashville is 695,000 residents. With Davidson County added to the mix, the population is 708,000 residents.

Interstate 24, 40, 65, 440 and suburban Interstate 840 are in Middle Tennessee. The Briley Parkway and Ellington Parkway are also major thoroughfare roads.

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) is retiring in disgust. He is angry that Republicans in the Tennessee state house decided to gerrymander his 5th Congressional district into Republican friendly territory making the seat likely a flip. The Nashville district was reliably Democratic and now Republicans are determined to make partisan maps so they can easily return to power.

One candidate thought it would benefit her.

I’m running for Congress in TN’s Fifth District!

In Pres. Trump’s Admin, I fought for conservative policies that put #AmericaFirst and I’m honored to have his support. Now, I’m ready to push back against the Democrats’ extremism in Congress. https://t.co/JR4l5iMScW pic.twitter.com/1OJuhAqEBW

— Morgan Ortagus (@MorganOrtagus) February 7, 2022

BREAKING: Tennessee GOP votes to remove Trump-backed Morgan Ortagus, in addition to Robby Starbuck and Baxter Lee, from the Tenn 5 primary ballot

In a statement, Ortagus says she's "deeply disappointed" and her team is "evaluating the options before us."https://t.co/va6HXphouF

— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) April 20, 2022

Karen Ortagus is an American television commentator, financial analyst, and political advisor who served as spokesperson for the United States Department of State from 2019 to 2021. She previously held government positions as a deputy attaché and intelligence analyst at the United States Department of the Treasury and as a public affairs officer at USAID. Ortagus worked as national security contributor at Fox News prior to her appointment as State Department spokesperson. She is an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. During her time at the State Department, she was critical of Iran and China, particularly over the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to shift blame to the United States for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agitator moved to Tennessee only eight months ago.

In an interview with a far-right agitator, the Karen made a serious flub in knowing the district. The Tennessee Star Report with Karen Leahy is no longer on the air.

Leahy: It’s that time of day again, not for “News Potpourri.” We have a candidate for the 5th Congressional District in our studio, and we’re going to play a different game called “Taking the Fifth.”

All right. You’re a good sport here to play the game. Morgan Ortagus is here. We have candidates come in and we ask them their knowledge of the 5th Congressional District. Are you ready?

Ortagus: Yes.

Leahy: Here we go. What three interstate highways are located in the 5th Congressional District?

Ortagus: I’m a terrible driver. (Laughs) I don’t know that. I don’t drive anywhere that I go.

Leahy: Okay. It’s I-65, I-40, and I-24.

A country music superstar, a famous, multi-Grammy-Award-winning performer, has a popular winery in the center of the 5th district in Arrington, Tennessee.

Ortagus: I have been to that winery. It’s great – I love that winery. I bought some wine.

Leahy: Who owns it?

Ortagus: I don’t know who owns it, but I love it. We went there for the summer and had a picnic outside. It was beautiful.

Leahy: Kix Brooks. He’s a Tennessean.

Here’s one: Who was Brigadier General Robert Reese Neyland?

Ortagus: Fifth.

Leahy: Legendary Tennessee football coach. Neyland Stadium was named after him.

There are four previous Republican governors who are still living, and live in Tennessee. Can you name them?

Ortagus: Well, let’s see. All four of them. No. I know Lee and Haslam. I met with Haslam right after I moved here. What a nice guy. And then, of course, I’ve met Governor Lee.

Leahy: Dunn, Alexander, Sundquist.

One of the most famous NASCAR drivers living today lives in the 5th District and has a large auto dealership in Franklin. Who is that?

Ortagus: My husband is the car guy. He used to race. He knows all of the racing stuff.

Leahy: Darrell Waltrip.

This is a Tennessee one, okay?

Ortagus: I think they all are Tennessee ones.

Leahy: Crom, this might be interesting for you. Who was the only Tennessee governor who ever served time in prison for crimes committed while in office?

Ortagus: Ooh.

Carmichael: I know that one. (Leahy laughs)

Leahy: (Chuckles) Well, we’ll give you a hint. He’s a Democrat.

Ortagus: Yes, I was just going to say…

Leahy: You know the party, Ray Blanton.

A rather well-known Confederate general – one whose name and history have been a source of enormous controversy in Tennessee the last few years – was born and raised in the community of Chapel Hill, in the 5th district. Who was he?

Ortagus: I don’t know.

Leahy: Nathan Bedford Forrest.

What county is Chapel Hill in?

Ortagus: I don’t know.

Leahy: Marshall County. It’s in your district.

On February 7, 2022, Ortagus announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for Tennessee's 5th congressional district. Two weeks prior, Washed Up 45 endorsed Ortagus for a potential congressional run, saying that "I am told the very strong and impressive Morgan Ortagus is exploring a run in Tennessee's 5th Congressional District." Politico forecasts a competitive Republican primary, with some frequent Trump allies backing other candidates.

Following the former president's endorsement, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on March 29 to require Congressional candidates live in the district they represented, and to have lived in the state for the three years prior. If signed by the governor, the law's provisions would have taken immediate effect, disqualifying Ortagus. The Tennessean reported that the bill targeted Ortagus's candidacy. Instead, Governor Karen Lee allowed the bill to become law unsigned, but only after the congressional filing deadline had passed; as the law's requirements were not retroactive, it did not apply to Ortagus's campaign.

On April 19, the Tennessee Republican Party's executive committee removed Ortagus and two other candidates from the primary ballot for the 5th District. The party stated that official challenges had been filed against the three, obligating their removal from the ballot per party bylaws. Ortagus said she was evaluating her options.