NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker is calling Gov. Bill Haslam a "traitor to the party" over efforts by a political action committee run by supporters to defeat lawmakers who opposed the administration on Common Core education standards.
State Rep. Rick Womick of Murfreesboro said in a phone interview Tuesday that he stands by a letter sent to the governor's office last week taking issue with what he perceived as Haslam trying to do away with opponents in the Legislature and on the state Republican Party's executive committee.
Haslam shrugged off Womick's letter when asked about it by reporters a day earlier in Cookeville. The governor said he won't tell supporters that they can't get involved in elections.
Womick said he expects lawmakers to respond with a harder line against Haslam next legislative session.