House Republican primary races in which Gov. Bill Lee has endorsed pro-voucher candidates

By Marta W. Aldrich, Chalkbeat, July 11, 2024 - At the Halfway Market in Franklin, Tennessee, where locals come for a good hamburger and friendly conversation, Republican Brian Beathard works the crowd as a candidate for a high-profile legislative seat ahead of a pivotal session on the future of the state’s education system.

By most standards, Beathard should be a shoo-in to replace departing state Rep. Sam Whitson, a four-term Republican lawmaker who’s retiring this year.

Beathard (pronounced BETH-ard) has served on the Williamson County Commission since 2010 and, as its current chairman, has a record of advocating for government efficiency, competence, and conservatism in a predominantly Republican community.

He’s been endorsed by top local leaders, including Whitson, three mayors, and a retired sheriff.

And he’s the only one of three Republican candidates for the District 65 seat who has continuously lived and worked for more than 25 years in the affluent suburban county south of Nashville.

But when Republican Gov. Bill Lee handed out endorsements in key statehouse primary races last month, Beathard got bypassed because of his stance on a single issue: private school vouchers.

Lee is betting big on a policy in which he’s had major victories during his nearly six years in office, but has still fallen short of his ultimate goal: taxpayer funding for private school tuition for any Tennessee student who wants it — including those from middle-class and wealthy families — all under the banner of “school choice.”

The governor’s universal voucher proposal stalled in the legislature this spring, even with a GOP supermajority. Now, in anticipation of a do-over, Lee is taking the unusual step of using his bully pulpit to endorse certain Republican candidates over others.

A proponent of local control, Beathard — like Whitson — opposes the governor’s plan, especially for Williamson County, home to two of the state’s top-performing public school districts.

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Here are contested House Republican primary races in which Gov. Bill Lee has endorsed pro-voucher candidates:

District 20: Candidate Jason Emert, former chair of the Young Republican National Federation, over Blount County commissioners Nick Bright, a cattle farmer, and Tim Stinnett, a retired Maryville teacher

District 33: Incumbent Rep. John Ragan, a retired Air Force officer, over former Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough

District 64: Incumbent Rep. Scott Cepicky, a lead sponsor of this year’s House voucher bill, over Maury County Commissioner Ray Jeter

District 65: Candidate Lee Reeves, a real estate attorney and investor, over Williamson County Commissioner Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman, a former GOP state executive committee member

District 68: Candidate Aron Maberry, a Clarksville pastor and school board member, over retired Army pilot Greg Gilman, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Smith, and former county Republican Party co-chair Carol Duffin

District 73: Incumbent Rep. Chris Todd, of Humboldt, over former longtime Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris, of Jackson

District 97: Incumbent Rep. John Gillespie, of Memphis, over Christina Oppenhuizen, a small-business owner

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