Former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) announced her endorsement of Williamson County businessman Bill Lee for governor on Wednesday.
“I endorse Bill Lee because I believe he’s the true conservative in the race for governor. He has said he will clean up state government, reduce the number of departments, and he has said he will reduce the influence of lobbyists,” Beavers told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview Wednesday afternoon.
“It is an honor to have the support of a Tennessee conservative leader like Mae Beavers,” Lee said in a statement released by the campaign.
It continues:
Maria and I got to know Mae and her husband Jerry on the campaign trail, and I know they both have a deep passion and love for Tennessee and our nation. Her leadership in the conservative movement and in the legislature is well known to all, and I am humbled and grateful to have her joining my team.
The campaign notes that Wednesday’s endorsement by Beavers makes Bill Lee the only candidate in the Republican Primary to have the endorsement from a former gubernatorial candidate in this election cycle, and that it demonstrates “the continued momentum for his campaign and shows conservatives are rallying around him as we head into early voting next month.”
Mae Beavers served in the Tennessee General Assembly for over two decades before resigning last August to pursue a bid for the governor’s office. She withdrew from that race in January, and subsequently announced her candidacy for Wilson County Mayor.
Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), and Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd are the three other candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and State Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) are seeking the Democratic nomination.
August 2 is the date of the primary for both parties.
