NASHVILLE – Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee is torpedoing rumors that he’s no longer enjoying his job and won’t seek re-election in 2022 amid battles on the COVID-19 pandemic, politics and other fronts.
“I love this job,” said the businessman after being asked at a news conference last week about speculation that he wouldn’t run again. “It’s been a big challenge, but I love serving Tennesseans, and I intend to do that as long they’ll let me.”
Asked if that means he is running again, Lee, who unexpectedly won the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary and then the general election in his first bid for office, had a one-word answer: “Yes.”
The definitive response came after weeks of rumors circulating in GOP legislative and political circles that Lee was looking at a one-term-and-done approach to public service.
In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, the political newcomer has had to deal with deadly tornadoes that swept last year through Middle Tennessee as well as Chattanooga and other parts of Southeast Tennessee. And the governor has also had to grapple with a COVID-19 induced plummet in state revenue.