Johnson County Commissioners appointed former state Rep. Timothy Hill on Thursday to serve as interim representative for state House District 3.
Hill will fill the vacancy created by the abrupt departure of Rep. Scotty Campbell, R-Mountain City, last month after an ethics panel found Campbell violated the legislature’s sexual harassment policy.
It’s not Hill’s first time in the state House. The Sullivan County Republican served four terms representing District 3 from 2012 to 2020, rising to the role of House Majority Whip.
Hill left the state legislature in 2020 to run for retiring U.S. Rep. Phil Roe’s 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House.
It was a crowded GOP primary with 16 candidates. Diana Harshbarger won the primary and went on to win the general election. She won reelection in 2022.
Hill will serve until a special election is held to formally fill the seat. No legislative business is scheduled during his interim appointment.
A special Republican primary election is scheduled for June 22, and three other Republicans have filed as candidates in the race: Neal Kerney, Angie Stanley, and Stacy Vaughan. The GOP primary winner will face Democrat Lori Love in the special general election set for Aug. 3.
The legislature will return for a special session focused on public safety on Aug. 21.
Hill already has significant support in the special election. Immediately after the vote, he gained the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity Action, which called him “a proven constitutional conservative that is committed to fighting inflation and expanding economic opportunities for all Tennesseans.”
“As a former State Rep., we trust that Hill will continue to champion solutions to lower tax burdens for a more prosperous Tennessee,” said Tori Venable, senior advisor for AFP Action-TN. “On education, Hill believes in parents’ right to choose the best education for their child and will work to increase educational freedom.”
Hill has described himself as both fiscally and socially conservative. Hill supported permitless carry legislation, and in 2020 earned an A rating from the National Rifle Association. A fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Hill attended the signing of the revised U.S. Mexico Canada Trade Agreement in January 2020. He supports restrictions on abortion: he voted for Tennessee’s fetal heartbeat bill in 2020, which prohibited abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. At the close of his last legislative session, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, described him as “a strong advocate on behalf of our businesses.”
Hill’s brother, Matthew Hill, also previously served eight terms in the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2020, and was appointed deputy speaker of the House by then-Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin.
Reach Vivian Jones at vjones@tennessean.com.