Summary

Current Position: US Senator since 2019
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: CEO Lee Company from 1992 – 2016

Lee was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Lee Company, a business operated by his family, from 1992 to 2016.

In 2017, Lee described himself as a social conservative.[4] As governor, he has signed bills to ban abortion in Tennessee, mask mandates, and ranked-choice voting; to allow guns to be carried without a permit, create school voucher programs, and increase penalties for protest-related offenses.

Featured Quote: 
.@DollyParton is a Tennessee treasure, and I’m thankful she’s joined us to commemorate Tennessee’s 225 birthday with this new video featuring communities across our state. @Tennessee225 #TN225

Gov. Bill Lee delivers State of the State address

OnAir Post: Bill Lee – TN

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2021 State of the State Address

About

Source: Government page

Bill Lee 1Bill Lee is a seventh-generation Tennessean and the 50th Governor of Tennessee. He was raised in Franklin, where he still resides today with his wife, Maria, on his family’s farm. He’s the proud father of four adult children (Jessica, twin sons Jacob and Caleb, and Sarah Kate) and nine grandchildren.

After attending Williamson County Schools, Governor Lee attended Auburn University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he returned home to Franklin to join the family business his grandfather started in 1944, a comprehensive mechanical construction service company. He became president of Lee Company in 1992.

Since becoming Governor in 2019, Governor Lee has focused on several priorities including a strong workforce, quality education, economic development, public safety, and supporting families, all with a particular focus on the accelerated transformation of rural Tennessee.

Under his leadership, Tennessee now has the fastest-growing economy of all 50 states, with the lowest tax burden in the nation, top business climate and a strong workforce strategy that have created more than 170,000 jobs for Tennesseans and generated $32 billion in capital investment since 2019. Tennessee’s unmatched business climate and skilled workforce continue to attract record investment from companies such as Ford Motor Company and SK On, In-N-Out, LG Chem, Oracle, General Motors and more.

Additionally, under Governor Lee’s leadership, Tennessee has passed the largest tax cut in state history, strengthened career and technical training, expanded school choice, prioritized a record $1 billion investment in public education and passed the largest teacher pay raise in Tennessee history.

The governor and first lady are people of strong faith. They are active in numerous faith-based ministries, which have taken them all over the world to serve people in need, including to Africa, Haiti, Central America, and the Middle East.

Personal

Full Name: Bill Lee

Gender: Male

Family: Wife: Maria; 4 Children: Jessica, Jacob, Caleb, Sarah Kate

Birth Date: 10/09/1959

Birth Place: Franklin, TN

Home City: Franklin, TN

Religion: BSME, Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, 1977-1981Christian

Source: Vote Smart

Education

BSME, Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, 1977-1981

Political Experience

Governor, State of Tennessee, 2019-present

Professional Experience

Chair/President, Lee Company, 1981-present

Employee, Triple L Ranch, present

Office

Bill Lee, Governor
State Capitol, 1st Floor
600 Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-2001

Contact

Email: Government

Web Links

Politics

Source: none

Election Results

To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.

Finances

Source: Open Secrets

New Legislation

Issues

Source: Government page

More Information

Wikipedia

This article is about the governor of Tennessee. For other people named Bill Lee, see William Lee.

William Byron Lee (born October 9, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who has served since 2019 as the 50th governor of Tennessee.[1][2] A member of the Republican Party, Lee was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Lee Company, a business operated by his family, from 1992 to 2016.[3]

In 2017, Lee described himself as a social conservative.[4] As governor, he has signed bills to ban abortion in Tennessee, mask mandates, and ranked-choice voting; to allow guns to be carried without a permit, create school voucher programs, and increase penalties for protest-related offenses. Lee signed Tennessee’s “bathroom bill“,[5] as well as a bill that assures continued taxpayer funding of faith-based adoption agencies that exclude LGBT people for religious reasons,[6] and the Adult Entertainment Act, which banned drag shows in public until a federal court ruled it unconstitutional.[7]

Early life and career

William Byron Lee was born on October 9, 1959. He was raised on his family’s 1,000-acre (400 ha) cattle farm started by his grandparents in Franklin, Tennessee, the Triple L Ranch; the family raises Hereford cattle.[8][9][10] Lee is a seventh-generation Tennessean.[11]

After graduating from Franklin High School in his hometown,[12] Lee entered Auburn University in 1977 and graduated in 1981[13] with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.[9] In college, Lee was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order, a fraternity known at the time for its use of Confederate imagery, and a photo printed in the university’s 1980 yearbook shows Lee in a Confederate military uniform at the fraternity’s “Old South” party.[14] In 2019, after his attendance came to light, Lee expressed regret for his participation: “I never intentionally acted in an insensitive way, but with the benefit of hindsight, I can see that participating in that was insensitive and I’ve come to regret it.”[13]

Lee was named president and CEO of his family’s home services and construction company, Lee Company, holding the position from 1992 until 2016.[9][4] He briefly served as chairman.[4]

Personal life

Lee lives in Fernvale with his second wife, Maria, whom he married in October 2008.[15] His first wife, Carol Ann, died in 2000 in a horseback riding accident.[16][17] After her death, Lee took extended time off from his construction company to raise his four children.[9]

Lee attends Grace Chapel Church in Leiper’s Fork.[4]

Lee previously served as a member of the board of trustees of Belmont University,[when?] chairman of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee,[when?] president of the Associated Builders and Contractors,[when?] and a board member of the Hope Clinic for Women and the Men of Valor Prison Ministry.[when?][9]

Gubernatorial elections

2018

Main article: 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election
Final results by county
Final results by county in 2018:

  Bill Lee
  •   80–90%
  •   70–80%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%
Bill Lee at his campaign event in 2018

In April 2017, Lee announced his candidacy in the 2018 election for governor of Tennessee.[4] A self-described social conservative, he also targeted pro-business Republicans.[4] In the Republican primary election, Lee faced Congresswoman Diane Black, Knoxville businessman and former Tennessee Economic and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, and state House speaker Beth Harwell.[4][18] Originally considered a long shot, Lee rose in the polls as Boyd and Black launched negative advertising against each other.[2][19] He won the August 2 primary with 291,414 votes (36.8%) to Boyd’s 193,054 (24.3%), Black’s 182,457 (23.0%), and Harwell’s 121,484 (15.3%).[20]

Lee defeated former Democratic Nashville mayor Karl Dean in the November 6 general election,[21] receiving 1,336,106 votes (59.6%) to Dean’s 864,863 (38.6%).[22] This marked the first time since 1982 that a candidate from the incumbent U.S. President’s party was elected governor of Tennessee. This is also the first time that Republicans won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the state, and the first time that a Republican was elected to succeed another Republican.

As of 2024, this election had the largest number of candidates (28) in a statewide election in U.S. history; the previous record was the 2016 United States presidential election in Colorado. This large surge in candidates was mostly due to the Libertarian Party of Tennessee‘s protest of the state’s party affiliation and ballot access laws.[23]

2022

Main article: 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election
Final results by county
Final results by county in 2022:

  Bill Lee
  •   80–90%
  •   70–80%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%

In September 2020, Lee announced his candidacy for reelection for 2022.[24] He was unchallenged in the Republican primary[25][26] and endorsed in August 2021 by Donald Trump.[27]

In the November 8 general election, Lee was reelected, receiving 1,129,390 votes (64.9%) to Democratic nominee Jason Martin’s 572,818 (32.9%).

During the general election, Lee flipped reliably Democratic Haywood County, home to Brownsville. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee, along with Shelby County, with a majority African-American population. Haywood County has not voted Republican on a presidential level since 1972.

Voter turnout for the 2022 midterm elections in Tennessee was the lowest it has been in nearly a decade, with only 38.57% of Tennessee’s registered voters turning out. The last time turnout was this low in Tennessee was in the 2014 midterm elections. This turnout was far below the 2020 presidential election in Tennessee, which saw a turnout of 68.6%.[28][29]

Lee was sworn in on January 21, 2023.

Tenure as governor

Governor Bill Lee taking the oath of office in 2019.

Lee was sworn in on January 19, 2019,[2] and delivered his first State of the State address to the Tennessee General Assembly in March 2019.[30]

Abortion

In January 2020, Lee proposed a bill to ban abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy.[31][32][33] The legislation was among the nation’s strictest abortion bans, and was similar to six-week abortion bans that were blocked by courts in Mississippi, Ohio, and other states.[34][35] Passed in the final hours of the General Assembly 2020 session on a party-line vote, it was challenged in federal court by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.[36][37] Lee signed the bill into law in July 2020.[35] A federal judge immediately blocked its enforcement because it violated Supreme Court precedent, such as Roe v. Wade, which prohibits undue burdens on pre-viability abortions.[34]

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Lee supported Tennessee’s near-total ban on abortion, which has no exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother’s health, except in cases of serious bodily harm to the mother.[38]

Health care and leave

Lee opposes the expansion of TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, as allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[39] As governor, he has rejected proposals to expand TennCare.[40] Lee has supported calls from dentists to extend TennCare to pregnant women who need dental care.[41]

In January 2020, Lee signed an executive order effective March 1, 2020, that offered state employees three months’ paid leave for new parents and caregivers of sick relatives. He called it “one of the most cost-effective investments in the families of our state employees in recent history”.[42]

Budget and economy

In 2019, Lee proposed repealing Tennessee’s 10% amusement tax on gym, fitness center, and health club fees, arguing that the tax discourages Tennesseans from being physically active. If enacted, the repeal would reduce state revenues by around $10 million.[43]

In September 2020, Lee supported a Tennessee delegation that traveled to Beijing to enhance trade and economic linkages between the state and the People’s Republic of China.[44]

Education

Lee supports charter schools.[45] In a March 2019 “State of West Tennessee” address, he proposed creating more charter schools and that the state use $25 million to help traditional public schools when they lose students.[46] In his February 2020 “state of West Tennessee” address, he proposed investing $70 million to equip teachers with professional development, materials, and other tools to help increase the state’s literacy rate.[47] Lee has also promoted the GIVE program, which prioritizes learning opportunities in rural counties and enhances career and technical education statewide.[48]

In April 2019, Lee announced that Tennessee would temporarily reinstate paper-based assessments for students taking the TNReady test, an annual statewide assessment, during the 2019–20 school year.[49]

In May 2019, he signed into law a school voucher bill that created a program to provide public funds to families for private school tuition and costs, starting in the 2020–21 fiscal year,[50] but a judge ruled the program unconstitutional in May 2020, before it could go into effect.[51] Of $64 million in discretionary COVID-19 relief funding for education that went to his office, Lee sent $10 million to charter schools, including $4.4 million to launch new charters.[52]

In July 2019, Lee signed a bill into law that calls for school districts across the state to establish threat assessment teams to address potential threats to school safety.[53]

In February 2020, Lee proposed a $117 million investment to increase teacher salaries and a $250 million endowment to address mental health in K-12 education.[54]

Race relations and Floyd protests

In July 2019, Lee signed an order proclaiming Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, as required by Tennessee law, celebrating Forrest, a famous Confederate general and the first Grand Wizard of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.[55] The legislature repealed this requirement in June 2020.[56] In December 2019, Lee proclaimed December 1 Rosa Parks Day, to commemorate the start of the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott.[57]

In May 2020, after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, Lee condemned the officers involved, saying, “police brutality is not law enforcement”.[58] On May 30, 2020, an “I will breathe” protest was held in Nashville in protest of Floyd’s murder. During the protest, a man set fire to the Davidson County Courthouse; the building was not severely damaged.[59] In response, Lee mobilized the National Guard in Nashville, saying the protests had taken “a violent, unlawful turn”.[60]

In August 2020, Lee signed into law a bill[61] increasing the severity of penalties for a number of protest-related offenses. One notable change[62] is that it reclassifies camping on state property, after being warned of trespass, from a misdemeanor to a felony offense punishable by up to six years in prison. This means that anyone convicted of the act will also lose their right to vote, as convicted felons in Tennessee are disfranchised.[63]

In 2024, Lee signed a law allowing public officials to refuse to perform marriages that they oppose for “reasons of conscience or other religious beliefs”, including refusing to perform interracial or interfaith marriages.[64] The law allows for “the possibility for couples to be refused marriage for a whole host of reasons, including their race, religion or national origin”.[65]

Refugee resettlement

In December 2019, after President Trump allowed states to halt refugee resettlement in their states, Lee declined the offer and announced that Tennessee would continue to accept refugees.[66][67][68] Lee’s decision was opposed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton.[67] During a 2020 trip to the Tri-Cities, Lee was met with protests from opponents of refugee resettlement.[69]

Capital punishment

Lee supports capital punishment, and Tennessee has executed seven people since resuming executions in 2018.[66]

One notable person executed under Lee is Nicholas Todd Sutton. He was sentenced to life after taking 3 lives from 1979 to 1980. While in prison, he saved one corrections officer’s life, protected two others,[70] and converted to Christianity.[71] In 1986, Sutton took the life of another prisoner after he threatened to kill Sutton, who was then sentenced to death.[72] In February 2020, he was executed after Lee denied clemency.[73]

In 2022, Lee set a temporary moratorium on Tennessee’s death penalty, citing concerns about botched executions.[74]

In May 2024, Lee signed into law a bill that would impose the death penalty on people convicted of child rape, though the law is currently unenforceable due to Kennedy v. Louisiana.[75][76]

Guns

In 2019, with the support of Republican state legislators, Lee loosened Tennessee’s handgun law, allowing “concealed-carry-only” handgun permits to be obtained without requiring applicants to show an ability to fire a weapon.[77] In April 2021, Lee signed into law a permitless carry bill; the legislation allows most adults 21 and older (as well as military personnel ages 18–20) to carry handguns (open and concealed) without a background check or required training. It also increased the penalty for unlawful use of a firearm and obtaining an illegal firearm.[77] The bill, which Lee also supported the previous year,[77][78] was supported by the National Rifle Association of America and opposed by law enforcement organizations, such as police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors.[77]

After the Covenant School shooting in Nashville on March 27, 2023, Lee initially did not call for any gun control, saying: “There will come a time to discuss and debate policy. But this is not a time for hate or rage. That will not resolve or heal.”[79] Lee said that his wife Maria was close friends with two of the shooting victims and one of them, Cindy Peak, had been expected for dinner at the governor’s mansion on the day of the shooting.[80]

Four days after the shooting, with large protests in the state calling for reforms, Lee declined to explicitly say whether he would support gun control measures but did say that “individuals who are a threat to themselves or to others shouldn’t have access to weapons.”[81] In the wake of the scandals around the 2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions, which occurred after protests in favor of gun control, Lee signed an executive order on April 11 strengthening background checks for gun purchases and also called for the state legislature to pass an “order of protection law”.[82]

On August 8, 2023, Lee officially called for a special session of the General Assembly to be held on August 21 to focus on public safety in response to the shooting.[83][84]

2020 presidential election

Lee in 2020.

After Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020, several weeks before the presidential election, Lee supported Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant seat, citing his position on abortion.[85][86]

After Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Lee was one of many Republican officials nationwide and in Tennessee who refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory amid Trump’s false claims of fraud.[87][88] Biden won a clear victory in both the popular and the electoral vote,[88] but Lee refused to recognize Biden as president-elect even after the election had been called,[89] after the presidential transition had formally begun,[90] and after the electoral college had voted, formalizing Biden’s victory.[91]

On January 8, 2021, two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to disrupt the counting of the electoral votes and keep Trump in power, Lee condemned the riot and acknowledged Biden as president-elect.[87][92][93]

Social issues

Lee identifies as a social conservative.[4] He emphasized his Christian faith, creating an office devoted to faith-based initiatives, and declared October 10 an official voluntary day of prayer and fasting.[66]

LGBT issues

Lee supports allowing religious foster care and adoption agencies to prohibit same-sex married couples from adopting children.[94] In January 2020, he signed into law a bill that assures continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption agencies that exclude LGBT families and others based on religious beliefs.[6][95][96] Nike and Amazon released statements opposing the bill.[97]

Lee signed legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in sports opposite to their biological sex, making Tennessee the third state to do so.[98] In May 2021, he signed a bathroom bill that prohibited transgender people from accessing public school bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.[5]

In May 2021, Lee signed legislation that forces businesses who serve transgender customers equally with restrooms to display warning signs that they do so.[99] LGBT activists, Democrats, and some Republicans, criticized the bill as an attempt to shame and harm businesses.[100][99] Many businesses and business leaders threatened to leave Tennessee in protest of these bills.[101] The American Civil Liberties Union sued to stop the law,[102] and in July 2021, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law, finding that it violated the First Amendment.[103]

On February 27, 2023, Lee declared that he would sign the Adult Entertainment Act, which bans public drag performances; the first violation of the law would be a misdemeanor, while the second would be a felony. Lee’s announcement came two days after photos of him dressed in drag at a powderpuff game went viral on social media platform Reddit. The 1977 high school yearbook photo shows Lee dressed as a female cheerleader, wearing a wig and pearl necklace.[104][105][106] Lee signed the anti-drag bill into law on March 2, 2023.[107][108] In June 2023, a federal court blocked the law as unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The Tennessee attorney general has appealed the decision.

In 2024, Lee signed a law allowing public officials to refuse to marry couples “for reasons of conscience or other religious beliefs”, including same-sex couples.[64]

Marijuana and gambling

As a candidate for governor, Lee opposed medical marijuana legislation and marijuana decriminalization.[109] As governor, he continued to oppose marijuana decriminalization, saying in 2019, “I have said before and still believe that we should not decriminalize marijuana… I think that’s not good for our state.”[110]

An opponent of legalized gambling in the state, in 2019 Lee allowed a sports betting legalization bill to become law without his signature.[111][112]

COVID-19 pandemic

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee

On March 12, 2020, in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, Lee issued an executive order declaring a temporary state of emergency in Tennessee to “facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19.”[113] He extended the “stay-at-home” mandate through April 2020.[114][115] Lee issued further orders for a “limited continuing state of emergency” through 2020 and 2021 to facilitate the state’s eligibility for federal economic aid, and allowed the Tennessee National Guard and Tennessee State Guard to continue to assist with COVID-19 response efforts.[116][117][118]

In March 2020, as the number of COVID-19 cases grew, Lee urged school districts to close through March to prevent the further spread of the disease.[119] In April, as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to grow, he asked all school districts to close for the remainder of the school year.[120] In October 2020, after a member of Lee’s security detail tested positive for COVID-19, Lee said that he and his wife would quarantine at home, likely for two weeks.[121]

Throughout the pandemic, Lee opposed a statewide mask mandate and “touted Tennessee for being one of the last to close early in the pandemic and among the first to reopen.”[122] On April 28, 2020, Lee signed an executive order allowing gyms in 89 out of 95 counties to open on May 1.[123] By September, he lifted restrictions on businesses and gathering restrictions in Tennessee, except for the state’s six most populous counties.[124] By April 2021, Lee declared that COVID-19 was “a managed public health issue in Tennessee and no longer a statewide public health emergency”; ended local authority on mask mandates in 89 counties; and called for remaining local restrictions to be lifted.[125]

As the highly contagious Delta variant spread in Tennessee, Lee said that he had “no real concern” over it.[126] COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surged in Tennessee from July to August 2021.[122] Tennessee’s COVID-19 vaccination rate was among the lowest in the country.[127] Lee encouraged Tennesseans to get vaccinated, but opposed vaccine mandates and, amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, maintained that it was a personal choice whether to get vaccinated.[127][128] He also dismissed suggestions for a return to restrictions[128] or offering COVID-19 vaccine incentives.[128][25]

In 2021, Lee blocked the Tennessee Department of Health from reaching out to teenagers to encourage them to get vaccinated.[127][129] In July 2021, his administration fired the state’s vaccine chief, Michelle Fiscus, who had angered some Republican state legislators by promoting vaccination for eligible youth.[127] The state Health Department stopped vaccination-related outreach to minors for all diseases, not only COVID-19.[127] Lee opposed offering vaccine incentives even as the Tennessee government spent nearly $500,000 to incentivize farmers to vaccinate cattle against respiratory disease as part of the “Herd Health” program, launched in 2019 under Lee.[25]

In August 2021, Lee signed an executive order that allowed parents to let their children opt out of school mask mandates.[130] The next month, Lee vowed to fight President Joe Biden‘s plan to require COVID-19 vaccines for federal employees and federal contractors, as well as to require businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccination or weekly COVID-19 testing; Lee asserted that the action was unconstitutional.[131]

In November 2021, Lee signed a bill into law that restricted the ability of localities to implement public health restrictions, such as mask mandates.[132]

ELVIS Act

Governor Lee and Gebre Waddell at the signing ceremony

In March 2024, Lee signed the ELVIS Act, which was designed to protect musicians from unauthorized use of their voices by artificial intelligence technologies and against audio deepfakes and voice cloning.[133] It was noted to be the first such enacted legislation in the nation.[134]

Other

Governor Lee (far right) tours a tornado ravaged neighborhood in Cookeville with President Trump

In February 2020, Lee signed a bill making Tennessee’s official nickname the “Volunteer State.” The name originated during the War of 1812, when Tennessee sent 1,500 volunteer soldiers.[135]

In 2021, Lee appointed John DeBerry as his senior advisor. DeBerry was a Democratic member of the state house whom the Tennessee Democratic Party removed from the 2020 primary ballot.[136]

In July 2019, Lee toured damage in West Tennessee inflicted by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Barry.[137] A series of tornadoes in Tennessee on March 2–3, 2020 killed 25 people and injured 150. Lee oversaw the state’s recovery efforts and surveyed the damage in Nashville, visiting Germantown, Tennessee State University, and Cookeville.[138][139]

In 2022, Lee signed a bill into law that prohibits localities in Tennessee from using ranked-choice voting.[140]

Electoral history

2018 election

Tennessee gubernatorial Republican primary, 2018[141]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBill Lee 291,414 36.75
RepublicanRandy Boyd193,05424.35
RepublicanDiane Black182,45723.01
RepublicanBeth Harwell121,48415.32
RepublicanKay White3,2150.41
RepublicanBasil Marceaux1,2640.16
Total votes792,888 100.0
2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election[142]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanBill Lee 1,336,106 59.56% −10.75%
DemocraticKarl Dean864,86338.55%+15.71%
IndependentOther candidates42,3141.89%N/A
Write-in110.00%0.00%
Total votes2,243,294 100.0% N/A
Republican hold

*This election had 28 candidates total.

2022 election

Tennessee gubernatorial Republican primary, 2022[143]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanBill Lee (incumbent) 494,362 100.00
Total votes494,362 100.00
2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election[144]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanBill Lee (incumbent) 1,129,390 64.91% +5.55
DemocraticJason Martin572,81832.92%−5.63
IndependentJohn Gentry15,3950.89%N/A
IndependentConstance Every10,2770.59%N/A
IndependentDeborah Rouse3,7720.22%N/A
IndependentRick Tyler2,3800.14%N/A
IndependentCharles Van Morgan1,8620.11%N/A
IndependentBasil Marceaux1,5680.09%N/A
IndependentAlfred O’Neil1,2160.07%N/A
IndependentMichael Scantland8150.05%N/A
Write-InLemichael D. Wilson3860.02%N/A
Write-InCharles Carney20.00%N/A
Write-InStephen C. Maxwell10.00%N/A
Write-InKameron Parker Scott00.00%N/A
Total votes1,739,882 100.00%
Turnout1,756,39738.61%−15.85%
Registered electors4,549,183
Republican hold

References

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  2. ^ a b c Ebert, Joel; Allison, Natalie (January 19, 2019). “Bill Lee sworn in as Tennessee’s 50th governor, nearly 2 years after long-shot bid”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  3. ^ “Bill Lee stepping down as CEO of Lee Co”. Nashville Post. February 5, 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Ebert, Joel; Garrison, Joey (April 23, 2017). “Republican Bill Lee announces run for governor of Tennessee”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  5. ^ a b “Tennessee gov signs transgender ‘bathroom bill’ for schools”. NBC News. Associated Press. May 18, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Ebert, Joel (January 24, 2020). “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signs bill allowing adoption agencies to deny gay couples”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  7. ^ “Tennessee governor signs first-of-its-kind bill restricting drag shows”. NBC News. 3 March 2023. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. ^ “Gov. Bill Lee”. nga.org. National Governors Association. Archived from the original on 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  9. ^ a b c d e Jett, Tyler (July 6, 2018). “Who is Bill Lee? Bill Lee says he was called to run for governor”. Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  10. ^ “About LLL Ranch”. lllranch.com. Triple L Ranch. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  11. ^ Plazas, David (October 8, 2018). “Tennessee governor election: Meet Bill Lee”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  12. ^ “Franklin businessman Bill Lee raises $1.3 million for governors race”. Williamson Home Page. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Allison, Nathan (February 20, 2019). “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he regrets participating in ‘Old South’ parties at Auburn University”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  14. ^ Allison, Natalie. “Gov. Bill Lee pictured in Auburn yearbook wearing Confederate army uniform”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  15. ^ Grigsby, Karen; Ebert, Joel (November 6, 2018). “Bill Lee’s wife: 6 things to know about next Tennessee first lady Maria Lee”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  16. ^ “Clipped From The Tennessean”. The Tennessean. 2000-07-24. p. 60. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  17. ^ Buie, Jordan (August 4, 2017). “Campaigning for Tennessee governor: What life is like on the road with Republican Bill Lee”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  18. ^ Ebert, Joel (August 2, 2018). “Bill Lee wins Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  19. ^ Ebert, Joel. “How Diane Black and Randy Boyd lost Tennessee’s Republican primary for governor”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  20. ^ “August 2018 Primary Election Results” (PDF). tn.gov. Secretary of State of Tennessee. August 30, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  21. ^ Allison, Natalie (November 6, 2018). “Republican Bill Lee wins race for Tennessee governor, defeating Democrat Karl Dean”. The Tennessean. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023.
  22. ^ “November 2018 General Election Results” (PDF). tn.gov. Secretary of State of Tennessee. November 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
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Party political offices
Preceded by

 Republican nominee for Governor of Tennessee
2018, 2022		Most recent
Preceded by

 Chair of the Republican Governors Association
2023–present		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by

 Governor of Tennessee
2019–present		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

as Vice President

 Order of precedence of the United States
Within Tennessee		Succeeded by

Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by

Otherwise Mike Johnson

as Speaker of the House

Preceded by

as Governor of Kentucky

 Order of precedence of the United States
Outside Tennessee		Succeeded by

as Governor of Ohio


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Lee_(Tennessee_politician)