What We Believe

Tennessee Republican Party Guiding Principles

The Tennessee Republican Party affirms our belief in one God, the source of certain inalienable rights as prescribed in our Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and the Tennessee Constitution, and we do hereby support and uphold the following guiding principles:
U.S. Constitution
1. All Bill of Rights freedoms are absolute and inviolate.
2. We must protect and guarantee our right to keep and bear arms, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and the freedom of assembly. 
Security
3. We must maintain a strong military defense for the protection of our citizens, our borders, our national interests, and our principles. 
4. We must honor those who have served in our armed forces and deserve the full care and deserve the full care and benefits they were promised. 
Elections
5. Tennessee is highly ranked in the nation for election integrity. Voting by all legal U.S. citizens should be protected and every effort made to assure one person-one vote. 
Economy
6. Our nation's economic policies should promote the production of good and services made in America by American citizens, including self-sufficiency in food, medicine, energy, communication and defense with emphasis on free-market principles and solutions, without government price controls.
Balanced Budget
7. We support Tennessee's commitment to a balanced budget, the constitutional prohibition of a state income tax, minimal taxation and strong fiscal reserves. 
Life and Family Values
8. We assert the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, and we affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life, which cannot be infringed. 
9. Individuals have the freedom to choose or deny medical treatments or procedures. 
10. We believe in the traditional family, based on the foundation of marriage between one man and one woman. 
11. God's created order is two biological sexes, male and female. No minor (under 18 years of age) child should be subjected to any form of experimental treatment to alter or suppress their biological sex. 
12. Gender-specific participation in sports and use of restroom or locker room facilities must be based on the biological gender at birth. 
Education
13. We believe that education is the bedrock of freedom and gateway to opportunity, we encourage K-12 schools to prepare students to be productive citizens, ready for tomorrow's workplace and for any college or technical training they choose. 
14. American exceptionalism, the gift of our founding fathers through the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, should be woven through the curricula and instruction in our public schools. 
15. English is our official language and complete mastery must be the goal of our public schools. 
Law and Order
16. Law are created by our state and federal legislators. Bureaucrats should implement laws, not interpret or create them.
17. The rule of law should be applied and enforced equally to neither target nor exempt individuals or groups. 
Personal Responsibility
18. We believe that with freedom comes responsibility; we believe that individuals are responsible for their own actions and decisions and must strive to act consistently ethical in all areas of life.