Image: Gov. Lee Speaks in Perry County Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –
Governor Bill Lee has made his position known on outside PACs donating big dollars to specific candidates in order to influence Tennessee elections: it’s fine, so long as those candidates receiving the money endorse his universal school voucher plan.
“We have a really smart electorate, and I believe in the power of people to sort through the information, as long as it’s accurate,” Lee said on Friday after speaking at a workforce development event in rural Perry County, west of Nashville.
However, much of the information being proliferated by these large PACs, namely American Federation for Children, Americans for Prosperity, and the School Freedom Fund, are mischaracterizations of the truth to outright fallacies on the candidates and the policy positions they represent. And in almost all cases, the information sent out in flyers and by other methods has little to nothing to do with school vouchers or “school choice.”
In Williamson County, Governor Lee has waded into the District 65 Republican primary and endorsed Lee Reeves, a recent transplant from Texas with no experience in government, over Brian Beathard, a 20 year resident of Williamson county and the current chair of the Williamson County Commission, where he has served 14 years.
Also running in that primary race is the grassroots supported candidate Michelle Foreman, who grew up in Williamson County, has served a term on the Tennessee State GOP Executive Committee, and was an elected Trump Delegate in the most recent presidential primary.
Neither Foreman nor Beathard support vouchers, so despite their objectively noticeable advantages over Reeves, Governor Lee has chosen the candidate who will vote for his universal voucher plan.
As The Tennessee Conservative reported this week, Americans for Prosperity as well as several other well-funded outside PACS have spent nearly $1,000,000.00 on Reeves.
Aside from Reeves lack of experience and very recent arrival into Williamson County, The Tennessee Conservative broke the story that Reeves is also housing illegal aliens in an apartment complex he owns in Houston Texas.
None of this Mega Donating would even be possible, if a piece of legislation brought to the General Assembly last year by Senator Frank Nicely (R-Strawberry Plains-District 8), had not been killed in committee before it even had the chance to see the light of day on either the Senate, or House floors for a proper vote.
Nicely’s cosponsor on Senate Bill 0100 (SB0100) was Representative Dave Wright (R-Corryton-District 19). The bill would have prevented Tennessee candidates or political campaign committees from accepting contributions greater than 30 percent of their total received contributions from people and/or groups based outside of state lines.
Present law places no limits on the amount of out-of-state funding a candidate can accept while running their campaign for office.
This legislation would have ensured that the majority of campaign funding would be from in-state individuals, political action committees (PACs), etc.
Niceley summed up the driving force behind this legislation saying, “money equals votes” and “Tennesseans need to elect Tennesseans.”
Ironically, Nicely is now under attack by the same groups that are attacking other legislators who also do not have a pro-voucher stance.
Niceley is well-known as one of the most conservative legislators in the General Assembly.
Nicely believes a super PAC funded by billionaire investor Jeff Yass is mostly responsible for the attacks.
Club for Growth, according to their president David McIntosh said about their efforts in Texas, “We helped elect 14 new members of the legislature and defeat 12 bad members of the legislature who had blocked Governor Abbott’s School Choice bill… we’re very driven by the principles that we care about free markets, limited government, school choice.”
Tennessee grassroots conservatives perspective on “school choice” and the introduction of public dollars into private and homeschool education programs, is that where public money goes, so does the government.
Grassroots conservatives and parents have said they do not want any money that would give the government more power over their only true alternatives to public-school education.
Reports indicate that Niceley believes he may have struck a nerve because Yass is one of the investors of China-owned TikTok.
Niceley was the prime sponsor of legislation that would have preventing China, North Korea, Venezuela, among others from buying land in Tennessee.
Regardless of the reason behind these ads, Niceley said he’ll fight back.
“I’m endorsed by the NRA, I’m endorsed by Tennessee Right To Life,” Niceley said. “All these conservative groups that endorse me, hopefully, will have more clout than these slanderous lies.”
Senator Frank Nicely has also been endorsed by The Tennessee Conservative.
About the Author: Kelly Jackson is an escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers, she has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member. An outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty, Kelly also has a YouTube channel @Tennessee_Truth_Teller and is planning on expanding out to other channels soon. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Tennessee Stands opposes the vouchers and Bill Lee and big money groups want them – that says a lot. I think we will all pay more taxes if vouchers are approved and the public schools will have less money. There are other risks.
From Tennessee Stands in Feb. 2024 > “We strongly oppose efforts to expand so-called “school choice” in Tennessee. Buyer beware.” https://tennesseestands.org/commentary/we-strongly-oppose-efforts-to-expand-so-called-school-choice-in-tennessee-buyer-beware/
I don’t trust “Americans for Prosperity” – it’s a Koch Brothers group. They oppose Trump and want Open Borders and illegal immigrants for cheap labor. Like Yass, the Koch brothers are billionaires and call themselves “Libertarians” – from what I can tell, Yass and the Koch brothers are out for themselves – that’s their definition of “Libertarian”. Yass is a big owner in TikTok and was very active with the Cato Institute, which would like the States to control zoning so apartments can be built anywhere – more housing for illegals. I think those groups are self-serving. I read that in 2023, the Club for Growth opposed Trump. I don’t think they have “principles” except to do what’s best for themselves. I suspect they secretly supported Biden.
About 10 years ago I did research and Muslim “schools” were among the biggest beneficiaries of School Vouchers. They would bring in “teachers” from the Middle East and, of course, all the students were Muslims, so instead of assimilating into America, they were able to be isolated and who knows what they were taught.