Image Credit: @VanForTN / X
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
On Friday, former Tennessee Congressman Van Hilleary launched his campaign to succeed U.S. Representative John Rose in the state’s 6th Congressional District.
Hilleary, who is 66, represented District 4 from 1994 to 2002.
Rose, an eighth-generation Tennessee farmer who bills himself as a “conservative outsider” is running for governor of Tennessee in 2026 as Governor Bill Lee’s second term winds up.
Rose introduced Hilleary at the Friday event, as his former boss and made a point of bringing up Hilleary’s past experience as a congressman. From 2018, when Rose was elected to the 6th District, to last Monday, Hilleary served as Rose’s chief of staff.
It was amid a conservative backlash to President Bill Clinton’s policies that Hilleary was first elected to Congress during the “Republican Revolution” of 1994, ending four decades of House control by Democrats.
At the campaign kickoff in Gallatin, he told the crowd that he was running to provide “backup” to President Donald Trump and in response to the decline of the country, particularly during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Hilleary told attendees, including several members of the Tennessee General Assembly, that Democrats had suppressed freedom of speech, and attacked Second Amendment rights. He also criticized the Biden administration’s handling of transgender athletes at the college level, and immigration policies.
Yesterday, Hilleary thanked his friends and neighbors for their support in a post on X, saying “Tennessee deserves a Congressman in Washington who will fight every single day for our Conservative values and stand strong with President Donald J. Trump and his America First Agenda.”
Hilleary is not alone in aligning himself with Trump. Other pro-Trump Republicans who have thrown their hat into the ring for the 6th District primary include State Representative Johnny Garrett, Army veteran Dale Braden, and Marine Corps veteran Jon Henry.
While the Freedom Index gave Hilleary a lifetime score of 62%, during his four terms as a congressman, he advocated for smaller government and lower taxes, and offered a constitutional amendment to limit congressional terms as a freshman lawmaker. He was outspoken in his criticism of House GOP leaders, who he said were too quick to compromise on issues.
A guest at the campaign event who spoke to The Tennessee Conservative yesterday morning said that in his opinion, with Hilleary’s experience as chief of staff for Rose, there is no one better prepared to represent the 6th District.
Hilleary has also garnered support from all sides, both “RINOs and conservatives, Trump supporters and Never Trumpers.”
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
