Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) confirmed he will not endorse in the race to secure the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in a Thursday interview, insisting his new role as the chair of the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) precludes him from weighing in on the race.
Asked if he intended to make an endorsement in the Republican presidential primary, Lee told German-owned Politico he has “an obligation not to endorse” due to his position as “chairman of the RGA.”
Reminded of the recent decision by his predecessor, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R), to endorse the presidential bid of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Tennessee governor insisted “she was on her way out as chairman and did not endorse through much of that period of time.” Reynolds endorsed DeSantis on November 6 and left her position as RGA chair on December 7.
He told the outlet he has “a responsibility not to endorse, and primarily because my responsibility is to stay very focused on getting governor’s elected.” Instead, Lee told Politico that any Republican candidates currently running for president “would bring that recognition of fundamentals back to the office and people would be better off than they are today.”
Lee did rebuke the idea he or other Republican governors are “afraid” of social media condemnations from former President Donald Trump.
He explained, “I just have my own personality, I have my own set of beliefs that inform how I govern and how I lead and what I say publicly and how I communicate with people.”
“Everybody has their own, and honestly, I find myself saying you just need to do it the way you want to do it,” Lee added.
“These are people who are running states,” he told the outlet.
He clarified, “I don’t think people are afraid as much as they are just making decisions for themselves that they think are in the best interest of their own career and their own constituents.”
Trump endorsed Lee’s bid for re-election in August 2021, more than a year before voters eventually granted him a second term in office. Trump celebrated Lee as a political “outsider” in his endorsement and commended the governor for leading “Tennessee through difficult times, without compromising his Conservative Values.”
However, the two have sometimes had a complicated relationship. In 2022, Lee was unable to explain why he criticized the removal of Morgan Ortagus from the Republican primary ballot but supported the removal of two gubernatorial rivals, with analysts surmising the governor’s inconsistent stance was motivated by Trump’s endorsement of Ortagus.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.Â
You sound like a stinking g Democrat
“He explained, ‘I just have my own personality, I have my own set of beliefs that inform how I govern and how I lead and what I say publicly and how I communicate with people.’
Lee’s “beliefs” are not consistent with the conservative values of most Tennesseans. He is simply a rich RINO.
The reason he criticized the removal of Ortagus has a simple explanation. She was/is a D.C. insider whom and he did not want to upset that carpetbagger with his long-term sights set on being a big shot in the federal government.
You make it sound like trump’s endorsement mattered to Lee’s re-election. It didn’t. No serious primary challenger was on the horizon. But trump is great at taking credit for things he didn’t impact and denying responsibility for his failures.
No need, for his acts will not allow him to further himself in politics when his term is up due to his actions against the law abiding.