Former Tennessee legislative aide, Cade Cothren, has been removed from the Republican primary ballot in 2026 for allegedly not meeting the party's "bona fide" membership requirements. He argues this decision is politically motivated and that his donations were made in response to the legislature's decision to expel two Democratic lawmakers in 2023. The Tennessee Republican Party has not publicly disclosed specific reasons for each candidate's removal, but has stated that those removed did not meet its standards for being bona fide Republicans. Cathren must now convince at least three members of the Republican Party’s State Executive Committee to allow him to run as a Republican.