GOP Governor Candidate Bill Lee Piles Up Big Numbers In Hamilton County As He Wins Nomination; Dean Wins Big On Democratic Side

  • Thursday, August 2, 2018
Bill Lee
Bill Lee

GOP governor candidate Bill Lee was piling up big numbers in Hamilton County. The successful businessman and first-time politician was declared the winner statewide.

He recently received the local backing of former Congressman Zach Wamp and his son, Weston Wamp.

Karl Dean won in Hamilton County and was declared the winner on the Democratic side by a wide margin.

Mr. Lee said, "Today is a victory for Tennesseans who want an outsider, for people who want Tennessee not only to be an even better place to live for six and a half million people, but for Tennessee to lead the nation. Tonight, we celebrate, but tomorrow we get back to work.

We’re going to finish this campaign the way we started it: 95 Counties in 95 Days. Thank you for believing in us. See you soon.”

Mr.  Lee is chairman of Lee Company, a family-owned construction, facilities, and home services company with offices and operations throughout Middle Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and Southern Kentucky. Lee Company employs more than 1,200 people and has annual revenue in excess of $220 million.  

 

In addition to his work with Lee Company, he is also active in Triple L Ranch, a fourth-generation family farm, which operates a 1,000-acre, 400-head Hereford cattle operation, providing natural beef to farmers markets and farm to table restaurants throughout Middle Tennessee.

Former Nashville Mayor Dean had an overwhelming victory with close to 80 percent of the vote. 

He said he enters the general election "with strong momentum, as evidenced by recent finance reports and public polling that showed him in the lead in both fundraising and voter support." 

After speaking with his primary opponent by phone, Mr. Dean took the stage at an election night party to thank his supporters "and highlight the importance of staying focused on the issues that matter to Tennesseans." 

He said, "I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for governor, but we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. The next three months we will be solely focused on listening to voters in all 95 counties.” 

Candidate Dean went on to describe "how his pragmatic leadership that brought Nashville into the economic boom it’s experiencing today can be replicated statewide." 

He stated,“Tennessee’s best days are still ahead of us but to get there we have to focus on the issues that matter: providing a good education for our kids, having good jobs to pay the bills and having access to affordable healthcare when we need it. These are not Democrat or Republican issues, these are Tennessee issues. And, I believe that if we have the confidence to invest in ourselves we can build a great state the same way we rebuilt a great city.”

Governor Bill Haslam said, "Congratulations to Bill Lee on winning the Republican nomination for Tennessee governor. Bill is a man of strong faith and character, and I know he will lead Tennessee in the right direction. He has long been a supporter of Tennessee’s business-friendly environment, and he is committed to the education and development of the state’s workforce. Bill has demonstrated that he will put the needs of Tennesseans at the forefront of any decision he makes as governor of our great state."

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden said, "We congratulate Bill Lee on his victory tonight as the Republican nominee for governor, and we commend the other candidates on a hard-fought race. Bill has the experience, skills, and temperament to be a terrific governor, and he will unify Republicans ahead of the general election victory this November. We look forward to working with Bill across the state to ensure he is the 50th Governor of Tennessee."

He also said, "Tonight was a historic night for the Republican Party in Tennessee. Through our Red to the Roots program, we have elected more Republicans across the state than ever before in Tennessee’s history, including nine new county mayors and six new sheriffs. And we nominated two incredibly strong statewide candidates in Marsha Blackburn for Senate and Bill Lee for Governor.

"The energy is there for Republicans – with more voters turning out in 2018 than the last open primary for governor in 2010. Tonight’s results are proof that up and down the ballot Tennesseans are recognizing the positive results of Republican solutions and leadership, from the courthouse to the White House."

Republican

Bill Lee 15,323

Diane Black 8,657

Randy Boyd 5,221

Beth Harmwell 5,071

Kay White 116

Basil Marceau 106

Democratic

Karl Dean 14,300

Craig Fitzhugh 4,095

Mezianne Vale Payne 2,077

In Bradley County it was:

Republican

Bill Lee 6,214

Diane Black 3,007

Randy Boyd 2,248

Beth Harmwell 2,190

Kay White 55

Basil Marceau 38

Democratic

Karl Dean 1,417

Craig Fitzhugh347

Mezianne Vale Payne 200


 

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