GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Lee Opens Campaign Headquarters in Franklin

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–An overflow crowd of more than 200 supporters crowded into the new campaign headquarters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee in downtown Franklin on Monday night to celebrate its opening.

The candidate delivered a speech to his home town supporters in which he indicated the campaign has entered a new phase.

“I’m a little bit overwhelmed. When we started this… some of you were at the Cracker Barrel when we kicked off back last April,” Lee began.

“This has been a remarkable journey for us. She has made it possible for me,” Lee said of his wife Maria.

“This is something that we are doing together,” he added.

“For us to go to 95 counties in 95 days sounded like a great idea, and then for me to drive a tractor from Mountain City to Memphis and for her to drive behind in a pickup truck giving me instructions, to just meet tens of thousands of people, and now it’s just starting to feel like, we’re having television interviews and we’re having newspaper interviews, it’s just very exciting,” Lee said.

Lee continued:

The more I do this the more people I meet, the further I go down this road, the more excited I am.

People want a good job, they want a good school for their kids, they want a safe neighborhood.

I genuinely do believe … that we can make life better for six and a half million people.

I’ll say this. We can win. I genuinely believe in my heart that we’re going to. . .

Those of us who haven’t been in the political arena are literally what the Founding Fathers intended, that we would be self governed, as Ronald Reagan said.

I’m more inspired every day, and part of the reason I am is y’all.

This is possible, and it’s only possible because of you, I’m very grateful…

Thank you very much. And now, let’s just go out and win.

Lee’s remarks were greeted with enthusiastic applause.

“I do want to say one other thing,” Lee added:

I have the most remarkable staff. We have the most remarkable team doing what we do. . . They’re doing a remarkable job. You certainly can’t do this without a really strong team.. .

Finally, I really do want to thank the Lord for the journey, and the encouragement that he gives Maria and I every day as we wake up and say we’re going to this one day at a time.

I genuinely believe that he called on us to do it. . .

With all that you’ve done for us, please continue to pray for us. We need your prayer covering as well.

Lee then introduced campaign manager Chris Devaney, who reminded everyone to sign the sign up sheet.

“We’re not going to have as much money as the other candidates, but we’ll have enough money to win. We want you to be hinking about how you can reach out to your 20 friends, and their 20 friends. This is a relationship business. This is a word of mouth and relationship business. We’re going to go viral on the internet, but we can go viral face-to-face,” Lee concluded.

Williamson County Commissioner Judy Herbert, Fairview Mayor Patty Carrol, and Williamson County Commissioner Jeff Ford were among the local dignitaries in attendance.

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, and Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) are the three other major candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

The primary will be held in August 2018.