While the two leading candidates for the GOP nomination for Tennessee Governor strongly support the state’s $300 million school voucher scheme, State Rep. Monty Fritts stands in opposition.
Both U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. John Rose support vouchers.
While much of the money supporting Blackburn’s campaign comes from out-of-state (72%), Rose’s support comes from his own kitchen table - he’s given his campaign $9 million, or more than 95% of the money his campaign has “raised.”
Fritts was among just a handful of GOP legislators to oppose Tennessee’s school voucher program, and has said that if elected Governor, he would suspend and try to end the program.
But, the good news ends there. Tennessee Firefly offers an analysis of where Fritts stands:
Fritts occupies the rarest position in Tennessee Republican politics: a fiscal conservative who opposes the party's signature education program. His EFS opposition is constitutionally grounded, not progressive, and he couples it with some of the most aggressive social conservative positions in the field. For public school advocates, he's an unlikely ally on vouchers, but his other education positions (challenging Plyler v. Doe, voting to arm teachers) make him a complicated one.
About those more extreme social positions, Firefly notes:
On January 29, 2026, a clip from a Christian nationalist podcast went viral. Fritts called for capital punishment for parents, guardians, and medical professionals connected to gender-affirming care for minors. He stated the position "aligns with scripture." Widespread national condemnation. Has not retracted.
Leaked audio from the August 2025 Washington County GOP "God, Guns, and Guts" event revealed Fritts calling for capital punishment for individuals who have had or provided abortions.
This guy really likes the idea of the state having the power to kill people who don’t align with his religious views.
He also wants teachers to be able to kill people:
Weeks after the deadly Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Fritts voted to advance a bill allowing teachers to carry firearms in schools.
