Bruce Griffey

Bruce I. Griffey (born February 1963) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Tennessee. A Republican, Griffey has represented the 75th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives, based in Henry, Benton, and Stewart Counties, since 2019.[1][2]

Bruce I. Griffey
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 75th district
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Preceded byTim Wirgau
Personal details
BornFebruary 1963 (age 60)
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Paris, Tennessee
EducationUniversity of Mississippi (BA), (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Career

Before running for elected office, Griffey worked as an assistant district attorney for the 24th Judicial District and an assistant attorney general for the state of Tennessee. He also owns and continues to practice at his own law firm.[3]

In 2018, Griffey challenged State Representative Tim Wirgau in the Republican primary for the 75th district, criticizing Wirgau for voting for a fuel tax increase and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. Griffey defeated Wirgau in the primary with 58% of the vote, and went on to win the general election easily in the heavily-Republican district.[4][5]

In 2021, Griffey introduced legislation to ban textbooks and teaching materials in Tennessee public schools that contain LGBT content.[6]

Nepotism controversy

Griffey came under fire in 2019 after it was revealed that he had attempted to persuade Governor Bill Lee to appoint his wife, Rebecca Griffey, to an open judge position. Although Griffey had written that if his wife were to be selected, Griffey "would be forever in your [Lee's] debt," his wife was not chosen as a finalist and the position ultimately went to Huntington attorney Jennifer King. Immediately following King's appointment, Griffey began a campaign alongside local GOP officials to deny King the GOP nomination for 2020. King resigned on September 13, 2019 — nine days after her appointment — citing Griffey's actions as the reason for her departure.[7][8]

Personal life

Griffey lives in Paris with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children.[3]

References
  1. "Representative Bruce Griffey". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. "Bruce Griffey". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  3. "Who I Am". Griffey - Make District 75 Great Again!. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. "Tennessee House District 75: Bruce Griffey Challenge to Rep Tim Wirgau Has Become a House Race to Watch". The Tennessee Star. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. Shannon McFarlin (August 2, 2018). "Bruce Griffey Easily Defeats Tim Wirgau for Republican Nomination". Radio NWTN. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  6. Jenkins, Cameron (2021-03-25). "Tennessee GOP bill would ban textbooks with LGBTQ content". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  7. Clint Eiland (September 27, 2019). "Rep. Bruce Griffey under fire after documents released". WBBJ 7 News. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  8. Kimberlee Kruesi (September 23, 2019). "Tennessee judge who quit after nine days: GOP House member, wife undermined my appointment". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
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