Senator Randy McNally Contact information

James Rand McNally III, known as Randy McNally, was born on January 30, 1944, in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He has been serving as the state senator from the 5th district since 1987 and is the 50th lieutenant governor of Tennessee.

McNally graduated from Oak Ridge High School, Tennessee in 1962. He then obtained a Bachelor of Science (BS) from Memphis State University in 1967, and graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1969. He started his career in the late 1960s, working as a pharmacist in chain drug stores. In 1978, he began employment as a hospital pharmacist at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

McNally first answered the call to public service in 1978 when he ran for the state house. He won the election and served four terms. It was in the state house where he first served on the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. His work on the Finance Committee in both the House and the Senate would become his passion and where he made his greatest impact on the state. As chairman of the Senate’s Finance, Ways and Means Committee for a decade, McNally oversaw the General Assembly’s only constitutionally prescribed duty: the passage of a balanced budget. Recognized across the state as a finance and budget expert, McNally’s leadership has been critical in keeping Tennessee’s budget in balance and its credit “Triple-A” rated.

In addition to his 26 years on the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee, McNally also served as chairman of the Senate Education Committee in the 102nd and 103rd General Assemblies. A legislative leader for nearly 40 years, Lt. Governor McNally has been recognized for both his work in the General Assembly and in his community.

McNally is Roman Catholic. He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters. In February 2023, McNally underwent emergency heart surgery after having symptoms of an irregular heartbeat. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center installed a pacemaker for McNally. He returned to the Tennessee Senate one week later.