Three supporters of congressional candidate Morgan Ortagus have sued the state of Tennessee in federal court over new candidate residency requirements, The Tennessean reports.
The state House and Senate agreed Monday on legislation requiring Tennessee candidates for U.S. House and Senate to have lived in the state for three years. The bill has not been signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee yet. If Lee does sign it, the new rules could keep Ortagus, who has been endorsed by former President Trump in the 5th Congressional District, off the ballot.
The U.S. Constitution requires only that candidates for Congress be 25 years old and live in the state they seek to represent.
Ortagus moved to Nashville recently after a stint as an aide in the Trump-era State Department. A number of candidates with more substantive local ties stand to gain if the law goes into effect, including former state House Speaker Beth Harwell and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles.
The qualifying deadline for August congressional primaries is April 7.
