Kevin Tanner (born February 10, 1972) is an American politician in Georgia. He has been a Republican member of Georgia House of Representatives from District 9 from 2013 to 2021.

Career

Tanner was a chief deputy sheriff and county administrator.

State House tenure

Tanner was sworn into the Georgia House on January 14, 2013. In 2013, Tanner introduced legislation that would classify the identity of companies that supply execution drugs to Georgia as a "confidential state secret" and thus preclude the information's release to the public. The bill was enacted. Tanner is strongly

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

, and voted in favor of the " fetal heartbeat bill" in the state House.Bill Johnson
Gooch, Tanner discuss bills passed in General Assembly
FYNTV (April 9, 2019). He voted for the purchase of new electronic voting machines for Georgia, in a measure that passed along a party-line vote, and claimed in 2019 that "the best way to rig or cheat in an election is

paper ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...

s." In 2015, Tanner was the sponsor of legislation that would restrict police from using " no-knock warrants" at nighttime (between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.) in most circumstances. In 2016, Tanner sponsored legislation to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) in Georgia. In 2016, Tanner was the lead sponsor of legislation to allow businesses to refuse services to same-sex couples. In the state House, Tanner was chairman of the Transportation Committee,Rebekka Schramm
Georgia House attempts to dismantle Senate's airport takeover plan
WGCL-TV (March 29, 2019). at a time when transportation issues became high-profile in Georgia. In 2018 and 2019, Tanner proposed a rural transportation bill. The legislation passed the state House overwhelmingly, but died in the state Senate amid opposition from the

Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developin ...

, which objected to the portions of the bill that would have consolidated state transit operations. In March 2019, Tanner and House members passed a measure to establishing a legislative oversight committee to monitor the operations of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Georgia's other commercial airports.Georgia House opts for airport oversight, not takeover
Associated Press (April 1, 2019). The legislation was a milder version of a more controversial state Senate bill, which would have implemented a state takeover of the Hartsfield–Jackson airport.Kelly Yamanouchi & James Salzer
Georgia House backs airport oversight instead of takeover
''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (March 28, 2019). The House legislation, which passed 104–70, also included a

jet fuel Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial a ...

tax break for airlines and a rural transportation package.

2020 congressional campaign

In 2020, Tanner officially announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Congress in Georgia's 9th congressional district, for the seat vacated by Republican U.S. Representative Doug Collins, who is running for U.S. Senate.Alexander Popp
Kevin Tanner announces bid to replace Doug Collins in Congress
''Forsyth County News'' (February 1, 2020). The congressional district is a Republican

safe seat A safe seat is an electoral district (constituency) in a legislative body (e.g. Congress, Parliament, City Council) which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combinat ...

. Tanner in running against former Representative Paul Broun, State Senator John Wilkinson, and State Representative Matt Gurtler in the Republican primary.Ed Kilgore
Georgia Republican Raffles Assault Rifle to Defend Against 'Looting Hordes From Atlanta'
''New York'' (April 7, 2020). Tanner, like the other the candidates for the Republican nomination, ran on a right-wing, pro- Donald Trump message. He vowed to combat what he asserted to be "attempts to overthrow an election through this

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

nonsense, socialists running for president, a resistance to support President Trump in building the wall, and

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

and the Socialist Squad trying to destroy our values." Tanner's candidacy was backed by influential Georgia Republicans, including former Governor Nathan Deal and allies of Governor Brian Kemp.Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein & Tia Mitchell
The Jolt/Political Insider
''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (March 2, 2020).

Personal life

Tanner's wife is Stacie Tanner. They have four children. Tanner and his family live in Dawsonville, Georgia.

References

External links

Kevin Tanner at ballotpedia.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, Kevin Living people Republican Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Candidates in the 2020 United States elections 21st-century American politicians 1972 births