{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nChris Morris serves as a member of the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee [1]. In January 2024, he publicly expressed frustration with the party's failure to adhere to its own bylaws regarding candidate eligibility [1]. He self-describes as a \"bona fide Republican\" and argued that state Republican bylaws clearly require individuals to have voted in three out of the last four statewide primaries as a Republican to qualify for the ballot [1].\n\nThe Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee subsequently voted in a specially called meeting to tighten standards for candidate eligibility in GOP primaries, effective immediately [2]. This action amended Article IX, Section 1, Paragraph B of the party bylaws, which had previously been changed in September 2023 to state that beginning in 2026, an individual must not have voted in any of the most recent four statewide primary elections held by a party other than the applicable Republican Party [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nChris Morris serves as a member of the Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee [1]. In this role, he has advocated for strict adherence to party bylaws regarding candidate eligibility in statewide primaries [1]. Specifically, Morris has expressed concern over the failure to enforce provisions requiring individuals to have voted in three out of the last four statewide primaries as a Republican to remain on the ballot [1].\n\nThe State Executive Committee, during which Morris holds office, voted in a specially called meeting to tighten candidate eligibility standards effective immediately [2]. This action amended Article IX, Section 1, Paragraph B of the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, which had previously been changed in September 2023 to require voting in any of the most recent four statewide primary elections for the applicable party starting in 2026 [2].\n\nThe provided sources do not contain information regarding other elected or appointed offices held by Chris Morris, nor do they detail specific races he has run and lost. Therefore, no additional office history can be reported from these documents.\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nIn January 2024, Morris expressed frustration with the Tennessee Republican Party\u2019s State Executive Committee for failing to follow state bylaws regarding candidate eligibility [1]. During an appearance on The Tennessee Star Report, he stated that the party\u2019s failure to enforce a \"bona fide\" Republican bylaw\u2014which requires individuals to have voted in three out of the last four statewide primaries as a Republican\u2014was a significant issue [1]. Morris identified himself as a \u201cbona fide Republican\u201d and criticized committee members for not adhering to these standards [1].\n\nFollowing this public dispute, the State Executive Committee held a specially called meeting to tighten candidate eligibility standards in GOP primaries, effective immediately [2]. The committee amended Article IX, Section 1, Paragraph B of the Tennessee Republican Party bylaws, which had previously been changed in September 2023 to require voting in any of the most recent four statewide primary elections for a party other than the applicable Republican party to be ineligible [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Tennessee GOP State Executive Committee Member Chris Morris Explains Frustration with 'Bona Fide' Bylaw Not Being Followed - Tennessee Star](https://tennesseestar.com/elections/tennessee-gop-state-executive-committee-member-chris-morris-explains-frustration-with-bona-fide-bylaw-not-being-followed/khousler/2024/01/26/)\n[2] [Chris Morris Archives - Tennessee Star](https://tennesseestar.com/tag/chris-morris/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","county":"Giles","county_count":5,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 28"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Chris","fullname":"Chris Morris","lastname":"Morris","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","contest_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 28","county":"Giles","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","contest_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 28","county":"Giles","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"tn_exec_committeeman_28","office_title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 28","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Tennessee GOP State Executive Committee member Chris Morris discusses bylaw enforcement and candidate eligibility standards in primary elections.","terms":[],"token":"Qk57liYBD4"}