Gov. Lee and McNally have called on Casada to step down, will other Republicans follow? It's likely.

After days of speaking in vague terms, Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally made plain late last week their feelings on House Speaker Glen Casada: They believed it was time for him to go.

Now, those comments from the state's top two Republicans may open the door for more GOP members to call on Casada to resign his leadership position, lawmakers and political experts say. 

"This will definitely lead to more rank-and-file legislators speaking out," said Michael Sances, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Memphis.

The governor announced Thursday that, were Casada a member of his administration, he would ask the Franklin Republican to resign, given his involvement in a scandal involving sexually explicit and misogynistic text messages and the hiring of a chief of staff who had admitted to using cocaine in the legislative office building.

The lieutenant governor went a step further.

"When asked my personal opinion on the matter, I can only answer honestly," said McNally, R-Oak Ridge. "I believe it would be in the best interest of the legislature and the state of Tennessee for Speaker Casada to vacate his office at this time.”

While a trickle of House Republican lawmakers earlier in the week had come out in favor of Casada's resignation, Lee and McNally's comments carry influence.

"The statements by both the governor and the Senate (speaker) provide cover for those members of the caucus who think the speaker should in fact step down," said John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor and co-director of Vanderbilt Poll.

"That's important, because you’ve got key leaders in the party raising doubts about Casada’s viability as speaker."

On Monday, Casada said he believed he still had the backing of most members of the House Republican Caucus.

"I feel very strongly that the overwhelming majority is still with me," Casada told reporters after leaving a meeting with the legislative black caucus.

But at least 10 GOP caucus members have signed a letter expected to be delivered to Caucus Chairman Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, requesting a meeting to take a vote of confidence on Casada.

Sances said Lee and McNally's display of leadership will likely encourage more members to call on Casada to step aside.

"This is why we have executives, to some extent," Sances said.

Although the state's top two ranking Republicans did finally weigh in, Sances said it was somewhat surprising that the governor and lieutenant governor waited as long as they did to speak up.

"It almost seemed like the avalanche was already starting to move," he said.

More Republican lawmakers call for Casada's removal

In recent days, three more Republican members have announced they believe Casada should step down as speaker, bringing the total to nine.

Others have said they have serious concerns about Casada's ability to continue leading, though coming short of calling for his removal. In addition to the text exchanges Casada participated in, his former chief of staff acknowledged using cocaine in a legislative office building and faces scrutiny for sending racist texts.

After NewsChannel 5 published another story Monday evening detailing texts in which Casada inquired about whether two women were of age, Rep. Curtis Johnson, R-Clarksville, said he could no longer stay out of the discourse.

"I watch the 6:00 news every night, and after the 6:00 news tonight, I felt like it was time," said Johnson, who ran against Casada in the caucus race for speaker last fall.

He said he had been friends with Casada for 16 years.

"We need to restore the trust that has been lost," Johnson said. "He has become a political liability to the members of the House and to the state. I would urge the speaker to step down."

The Tennessean also independently obtained the texts. 

Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, told the Hartsville Vidette at a constituent meet-and-greet in Trousdale County that it was time for Casada to leave his post as speaker.

"The choices made by these people — including the speaker — should have consequences," Weaver said. "That teaches a lesson to everyone.”

Weaver did not return a request for comment Monday from The Tennessean.

In an email sent to a constituent on Saturday, Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, said Casada's removal needs to take place.

"Please write or email the Governor," Moon wrote the constituent, who provided the email to The Tennessean. "Because he can call a special session to remove the Speaker, and that is what needs to happen.

"I don’t believe the Speaker will call a special session to remove himself."

Moon did not respond to a request for comment from The Tennessean.

Franklin rep calling for resignation says someone needs to tell Casada 'the brutal truth'

Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, one of the lawmakers who publicly called for Casada's resignation last week, said he believed that not only do Lee and McNally's comments carry weight with members, local conservative talk radio hosts' perspectives have, too.

Phil Valentine and Brian Wilson, both talk show hosts on WTN in Nashville, interviewed Casada on air before saying last week he should step down.

"You really need friends to tell you the brutal truth, and I don't think any of those people surrounding Glen Casada right now, they're not out for the best interest of Tennessee or the speaker's office," Whitson said. 

Whitson, who said constituents in his district had been "overwhelmingly supportive" of his call for resignation, had also called Lee last week — ahead of the governor strengthening his rhetoric on Casada.

Lee, a Williamson County resident, is among Whitson's constituents.

"Given what has unfolded in the past days, I have a responsibility in the executive branch to speak to what culture should look like, to the standard that should exist in the executive branch, and I’ve communicated that to my team, and it’s a standard of integrity, honest and transparency, values and principles that are consistent with Tennesseans," Lee said on Thursday.

"I think some of the events that have come to light in the last several days are not consistent with that and if an employee in my administration acted in a way that wasn’t consistent to that they wouldn’t be in my administration."

Timing, 'Trump effect' could work in Casada's favor

But Sances and Geer said that while they believe the writing is on the wall for Casada, circumstances around the recent controversies — including timing and recent events on the national stage — could work in his favor.

Geer described how what he calls the "Trump effect" could play a role in the situation. President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 on the heels of a scandalous audio recording of him making derogatory comments about women. As a result, politicians can likely now endure more than in years past, Geer said.

"Five years ago, there would have been no doubt he would have been forced out, but look what happened in Virginia," Geer said, referring to controversy surrounding Gov. Ralph Northam, who earlier this year weathered calls for his resignation over old photos of him wearing blackface.

Sances said that in an election off-year without a challenger campaigning, scrutiny among constituents is less both for Casada and other lawmakers.

"It's not a legislative election year," Sances said. "The session is over. There's a chance that he could sort of take advantage of the fact that scrutiny is going to be much less.

"But now that the governor's gotten in, I'd be surprised if he sticks around."

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

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