Tre Hargett (born February 7, 1969) is an American Republican Party politician who is serving as the 37th Secretary of State of Tennessee since 2009.

Early life and education

He is the son of Tennessee Adjutant General Gus L. Hargett Jr. and Mrs. Pat Vaughan. He is a Southern Baptist. Hargett earned a B.B.A. in accounting with honors, as well as an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis.

Career before politics

In the private sector, Hargett worked for Rural/Metro, an emergency services provider. At the time of his appointment as TRA chairman, Hargett was serving as the corporation's Vice President for the Southern Region.

Tenure in state legislature and Tennessee Regulatory Authority

Hargett served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006 representing District 97 (Bartlett and Memphis). He was twice elected Republican Leader by his colleagues. In 2007, he was nominated to the position of Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) chairman, which sets the rates and service standards of privately owned telephone, natural gas, electric and water utilities. He was confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly and served from February 2008 through January 2009. He was succeeded by Dr. Kenneth Hill.

Tenure as secretary of state

In January 2009, the state legislature's new Republican majority voted to replace longtime Secretary of State Riley Darnell with Hargett. Hargett immediately resigned from his position as TRA chairman and took office as secretary of state on January 15, 2009. In 2019, Hargett supported legislation which would make it possible to fine voter registration groups that submitted incomplete voter registrations. Critics charged that the legislation was intended to reduce registration of new voters. In an interview, Hargett stated the goal of the legislation was to ensure that elections run smoothly while limiting financial and other burdens state and local officials face when registration forms are turned in at the last minute. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee, Hargett opposed allowing voters who fear catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the 2020 elections. A state judge overruled Hargett's position, holding that Tennessee must allow vote by mail for all voters and that the restrictions on vote by mail that Hargett sought to impose were "an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution." In July of 2021, a state debate took place on whether to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general, from inside the Tennessee State Capitol. Hargett voted in favor of removing the Forrest bust, as well as those of U.S. Admirals David Farragut and Albert Gleaves.

Secretary of State electoral history