Monty Fritts

Monty Fritts
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 32nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byKent Calfee
Personal details
Born (1963-12-10) December 10, 1963
Rockwood, Tennessee, U.S.
PartyRepublican
EducationLiberty University (BS, MA)
University of Tennessee (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Monty Fritts (born December 10, 1963)[1] is an American politician.[2] A member of the Republican Party, he represents the 32nd district in the Tennessee House of Representatives.[1]

Education

Fritts graduated from Roane County High School in 1982. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business & Chemistry and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty University. He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.[1][3][4]

Career

Fritts is an Army veteran and worked in the nuclear industry.[5]

Political service

In August 2022, Fritts defeated Teresa Pesterfield Kirkham, Keaton Bowman, Donnie Hall and Randy Childs in the Republican primary election for the 32nd district of the Tennessee House of Representatives.[6] In November 2022, he defeated Jan Hahn in the general election.[7] He succeeded Kent Calfee.

On April 5, 2023, weeks after the 2023 Nashville school shooting, he voted to move a bill forward to arm teachers.[8][9]

On April 11, 2024, Fritts was one of only two house members who voted against bills SB 1917 and HB 2041 that would ban marriage between biological first cousins, calling it a Democratic insult to Tennesseans. The bills were subsequently approved by the House and Senate.[10][11][12]

In 2024, Fritts sponsored a state bill (SB 2691) banning geoengineering, which was widely criticised as being influenced by the chemtrails conspiracy theory.[13]

In 2025, Fritts authored HJR 51, which encouraged Tennesseans to join in a non-mandatory time of prayer and intermittent fasting from July 1 to July 31 each year to heal society in response to violence, drug addiction, and family breakdowns.[14][15]

On September 8, 2025, Fritts announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election.[16]

Political positions

Fritts advocates for shrinking state government, cutting spending, and ending "corporate welfare".[5][17][18] He was one of the several Republicans from rural districts that voted against the private-school voucher program championed by governor Bill Lee in 2025 and 2026.[5][17] He has pledged to eliminate the program if elected governor.[19]

Fritts criticized state officials for appealing court rulings that could overturn restrictions like the "intent to go armed" law and guns-in-parks prohibition. He supports legal protections for firearms manufacturers to protect them from lawsuits, describing this as a means to boost Tennessee's role as an "arsenal of the Republic".[5][20]

Fritts has been very critical of the Tennessee Department of Transportation's management of the state highway system, particularly the slow pace of road projects.[19] He also believes that corporate welfare deals in Tennessee have severely siphoned off resources from the state's roads, leading to a decline in their quality.[21]

Fritts campaigns against what he describes as "celebrity politicians" and D.C. elites. He promotes "Godly values" and "creationist worldview". He led the passage of House Joint Resolution 51, encouraging Tennesseans to join in a time of prayer and intermittent fasting from July 1 to July 31 each year.[12][14][22][23]

In January 2026, Fritts gained national attention for calling for the execution of the parents of transgender children. Fritts stated: "I think that anyone who would try to disfigure a child through hormones or surgery, you might be eligible to capital punishment."[24][25]

Fritts self-identifies as a Christian nationalist. In May 2026, Fritts again gained attention for saying he would like to ban the beliefs of Islam, along with Buddhism, Hinduism, and "other pagan religions," from being practiced in the state of Tennessee. He also stated he would outlaw same-sex marriage and criminalize some sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex. Fritts additionally said he would criminalize abortion in all cases, including pregnancies resulting from rape, and compared the punishment to that given to murderers. He also said he opposes allowing rape victims access to the morning-after pill.[26] In late July 2026, he stood by his previous statements and pledged to ban mosques and "other non-Christian religions" if elected governor. He also argued that the First Amendment does not apply to state governments.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Representative Monty Fritts". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ Lawrence, Damon (November 10, 2022). "Humbling' win sends Fritts to legislature". The Mountain Press. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Willett, Hugh (September 28, 2022). "Fritts, Hahn debate before Nov. 8 vote". News-Herald. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Representative Monty Fritts". Tennessee House Republican Caucus. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Stockard, Sam (September 8, 2025). "East Tennessee Republican runs for governor to topple "Nashville establishment"". Tennessee Lookout. Nashville. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  6. ↑ "2022 Tennessee State House - District 32 Republican Primary Results". Detroit Free Press. August 4, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  7. ↑ "2022 Tennessee State House - District 32 Election Results". The Arizona Republic. November 8, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Tennessee Advances Bill to Arm Teachers". US News & World Report. April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tennessee Legislature passes bill to arm teachers despite fierce opposition". The Hill. January 16, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "Bill that prohibits first cousins marrying each other passes Tennessee General Assembly". WHBQ-TV. April 11, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Tennessee Republicans fight ban on cousins getting married". Newsweek. April 11, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "MONTY FRITTS ANNOUNCES RUN FOR GOVERNOR - Tennessee Today". tennesseetoday.com. September 9, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ Wending, Mike (April 2, 2024). "Tennessee passes 'chemtrail' bill banning airborne chemicals" – via BBC.
  14. 1 2 Burns, Carson (March 21, 2025). "Tennessee House designates July as Month of Prayer and Fasting". Tennessee House Republican Caucus. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Tennessee General Assembly Legislation". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Grace Taylor, Sarah (September 8, 2025). "State Rep. Monty Fritts announces 2026 governor run". Nashville Banner. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  17. 1 2 Jarrett, Jarrett (September 8, 2025). "Fritts enters Tennessee governor's race". The Center Square. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  18. ↑ Linton, Larry (December 13, 2025). "Why Tennessee Must Elect Monty Fritts as Governor in 2026: The Only True Conservative Choice Against Establishment Pretenders - Liberty, Leadership and Lies with Larry Linton". libertyleadershipandlies.com. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Austin, Jared (July 23, 2026). "Tennessee GOP governor candidates on education, public safety and immigration". WVLT-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  20. ↑ adam.delahoussaye@news-herald.net, Adam Delahoussaye (October 8, 2025). "Fritts focuses on freedom, ending frivolous spending in race for governor". News-Herald. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  21. ↑ Cohen, Li (July 24, 2026). "We asked GOP gubernatorial candidates how they'll handle some of TN voters' top concerns. Here's what they said". WSMV-TV. Nashville. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  22. ↑ Feinberg, Allie (September 9, 2025). "State Rep. Monty Fritts running for Tennessee governor in 2026". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  23. ↑ Lupia, Olivia (September 8, 2025). ""Liberty & Less Government:" State Representative Monty Fritts Announces Candidacy For Tennessee Governor". The Tennessee Conservative. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  24. ↑ Villarreal, Daniel. "GOP candidate calls for executing parents & doctors who help trans kids". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  25. ↑ Hansford, Amelia (January 30, 2026). "GOP candidate for governor of Tennessee wants to execute the parents of trans kids". PinkNews.
  26. ↑ Williams, Phil (May 28, 2026). "Tennessee GOP governor candidate says he would ban Islam, outlaw same-sex marriage". WTVF. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  27. ↑ Tennessee state representative, candidate for governor plans to ban mosques, non-Christian religions if elected. WSMV-TV (Television production). Nashville. July 29, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
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