Former Jonesborough mayor Kelly Wolfe (left) introduces gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee during a campaign stop at the Corner Cup in Jonesborough on Monday morning. PHOTO BY DAVE ONGIE
By Dave Ongie
Bill Lee kicked off his gubernatorial campaign by visiting all of Tennessee’s 95 counties, and with the Republican primary fast approaching, Lee is in the midst of holding 100 town hall events across the state in advance of the Aug. 2 election.
That sprint across the state brought Lee to the Corner Cup on the historic Main Street of Jonesborough Monday morning, a place Lee first visited two years ago when he was pondering whether to run for governor. On Monday, he took some time to reminisce about that first visit and seized on the opportunity to make one last pitch to those in attendance as he tries to separate himself from a crowded field of candidates that includes Randy Boyd, Diane Black and Beth Harwell.
For Lee, part of that effort has been to brand himself as a political outsider.
“One of the reason I think people coming from the outside are so beneficial to the process is I really think the founders envisioned a country based on this idea of self-governance,” Lee said. “They left a country with a ruling class, they set up this new country – a government of the people – with the idea that regular folks from the private sector would engage in the public square, address the greatest challenges of our day and then get back out. That’s what I hope to be able to do.”
Early voting will conclude on July 28 ahead of the Aug 2 election.
