NASHVILLE -- Gov. Bill Lee won a second term in Tennessee's general election on Tuesday with the well-funded Republican incumbent easily defeating Democrat Jason Martin, according to unofficial results.
The Associated Press called the contest for Lee shortly after polls across the state closed at 8 p.m. EST.
By 8:45 p.m., AP also called the 3rd Congressional District seat for incumbent U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Ooltwah, who faced Democrat Meg Gorman in a repeat of their 2020 race in the 11-county Hamilton County-centered district.
"What a special night this is for me and for Maria," Lee told cheering supporters Tuesday night at a Franklin hotel as he gestured to his wife. "Being the governor of this state has been the honor of my life, and I want to thank you and the people of Tennessee for giving me and Maria the opportunity to serve again."
Lee, who before becoming governor in 2018 headed a family-owned facilities service company, focused during his campaign on economic development strides made during his first four years as well as his continuing efforts on education and expansion of public charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools.
He pledged to continue that while also continuing to support development in rural areas, a key focus of his first term. And he said the state will spend more to repair and improve Tennessee's roads and other infrastructure, adding he wants to extend his focus even more outside the major cities.
Lee ran a largely low key campaign -- part of that attributable to his wife battling cancer. He traveled the state, often celebrating economic-development successes under his tenure while pumping out $3.2 million in the closing weeks of his campaign, bringing his total election spending at last count to some $6 million.
He largely ignored underdog Martin, refusing to give the Democrat a higher profile by debating him. Martin, a physician who said he was originally motivated to challenge Lee in part over his handling of COVID-19, has accused Lee of not adequately supporting K-12 public education and blasted the state's no-exceptions abortion ban.
Martin, who spent about $1.1 million, much of it during his three-person Democratic primary, also advocated for the expansion of the state's TennCare Medicaid program to some 300,000 low-income adults under the federal Affordable Care Act and for legalization of marijuana. But the Democrat, who struggled to raise money, was only able in the final days of the campaign to get up on television to reach some state voters.
Tennessee Republicans also picked up a new U.S. House seat in the Democratic stronghold of the Nashville-centered 5th Congressional District. Majority state legislative Republicans this year divided Davidson County, where Nashville sits, among the 5th, 6th and 7th Congressional districts in hopes of winning the 5th District.
The GOP strategy worked with Republicans now set to hold eight of the state's nine congressional districts when the new 118th Congress convenes in January.
With Republicans expected to win control of the U.S. House, Fleischmann -- whose district includes Hamilton, Bradley, Rhea and Anderson counties -- hopes to become a chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee in the new Congress where he already serves as the top Republican on the Homeland Security Subcommittee. He's angling to become chairman of either the Appropriations' Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over north-district U.S. Department of Energy facilities such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, or the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee.
Fleischmann declared victory in the 11-county district Tuesday night and thanked voters.
"The past two years have been marked by radical Democrat policies leading to record inflation, rising crime and an overall weaker America," the congressman said. "I'm honored by the trust East Tennesseans have placed in me to push back on liberal extremism by bringing our conservative values to Washington and getting our nation back on track."
To the west, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Sherwood, was on course to win in his race against Democrat Wayne Steele and three independents in the 15-county district that includes Marion, Rhea, Grundy, Sequatchie, Franklin and Rutherford counties.
Tennessee Republicans also were on course to retain their supermajorities in both the 33-member Senate and 99-member House.
In local state legislative contests, it was status quo:
State Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, ran unopposed.
Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, was leading in his contest against Democratic challenger Allison Gorman of Chattanooga. Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, was leading independent Michael H. Potter.
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, was defeating a few hundred write-in votes, as were Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, and Rep. Esther Helton, R-East Ridge.
Amendments
Tennessee voters also were on track to approve four proposed amendments to the state constitution:
Amendment 1 enshrines the state's existing "right-to-work" law regarding union representation and makes it a part of the Tennessee Constitution.
Amendment 2 creates a constitutional process for the temporary exercise of the powers and duties of the governor by the speaker of the Senate -- or the speaker of the House if there is no speaker of the Senate in office -- when the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor.
Amendment 3 eliminates current language that says slavery and involuntary servitude, "except as punishment for a person who has been duly convicted of crime," is prohibited. The state constitution will now read: "Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime."
Amendment 4 would remove a long-unforceable 18th century provision of the Tennessee Constitution that prohibits ministers of the Gospel and priests of any denomination from holding a seat in the legislature.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.
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