Hamilton County lobbyist and political strategist Chris Devaney will be joining Congressman John Rose’s (R-District 6) gubernatorial campaign as its Campaign Chair.
Devaney previously served as campaign manager to Governor Bill Lee during his 2018 race, was appointed by Lee as Special Assistant to the Governor, is a former Chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, and is a partner at Poplar Group, a “strategic consulting and advisory firm.”
Most recently, Devaney was hired by Hamilton County at the beginning of the year to serve as a taxpayer-funded lobbyist to promote the county’s agenda at the statehouse. He was reportedly recommended for the position by County Mayor Weston Wamp, especially as Poplar group offered a lower bid than other firms considered at the time, with some charging up to $10,000 per month.
Devaney and Poplar Group were approved by the county commission at an overall rate of $81,000 for a year of services, with a monthly fee of $7,500 for January-June and $6,000 per month July-December. But now Devaney has reportedly resigned from his position with Hamilton County to run Rose’s campaign.
Officials for the campaign said Devaney “brings decades of experience in Tennessee politics” and that “under his leadership [as TN GOP Chair] Republicans secured a working majority in the State House and later achieved supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly.”
They further credit him with leading the “Tennessee GOP’s Red to the Roots program, which helped elect a record number of Republican local officeholders across the state. Devaney’s leadership will guide strategic decisions and ensure the campaign is positioned for success from day one.”
Devaney appears to believe Rose has a strong campaign and will benefit from being the only declared Republican candidate thus far. “The landscape of this race is very favorable for John Rose to fulfill his goal of serving the people of Tennessee. The significance of being the only Republican in the race at this point cannot be overstated. It takes an early start to truly connect with voters in all 95 counties – and they like the man they’re meeting: a humble Tennessee farmer and proven conservative,” he said.
The campaign seems to agree with Devaney’s assessment, claiming that “Rose has boxed out potential opponents” because, “In both the 2010 and 2018 Republican primaries for Governor, the first- and second-place finishers were already formally announced and actively campaigning at this point in the race. With this team in place, the Rose for Governor campaign is poised to run an aggressive, grassroots-driven effort across all 95 counties – and deliver on Rose’s promise to defend Tennessee values from outside influence.”
