Image Credit: @tennesseestands / X & Lee Reeves for Congress / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
As early voting winds to a close, the 11-candidate GOP primary for the TN-7 special congressional election remains a tight race.
But Representative Lee Reeves apparently thought underhanded tactics might help him clinch victory, only to see massive backlash after one of his own campaign workers was caught on camera stealing another candidate’s campaign materials.
Footage from a doorbell camera shows one of Reeves’ campaign workers approaching a residence where a piece of campaign literature for Mason Foley, the youngest candidate in the race, was already hanging on the doorknob. Reeves’ representative is then seen removing the Foley doorhanger, replacing it with Reeves’, then walking away, taking the stolen material with him.
Reeves is now facing significant backlash, with many denouncing his actions, calling for a public apology, and pointing out other seemingly distasteful practices by the current state representative.
“Lee Reeves campaign should issue an IMMEDIATE public apology. Silence is approval,” read one response to the video.
“That alone is reason to vote for anyone other than him,” said another commenter.
The Tennessee Conservative’s Brandon Lewis wrote, “The ‘volunteer apple’ does not fall far from the ‘candidate tree…’”.
In Williamson County, which Lee’s legislative district partly includes, the county Republican party issued an official statement about the theft, condemning “all campaign tactics that seek to gain advantage through deceit, fraud, or treachery. This includes stealing, defacing, or destroying campaign materials.”
Lee’s history of anti-conservative policy also includes:
• Housing hundreds of illegal aliens in an apartment complex his equity management company owns in Houston, TX. Reeves attempted to make himself blameless by claiming that he is merely one of 22 investors in the company, despite being listed as the sole owner on all documents.
• He also blamed the federal government for prohibiting owners from verifying immigration status, though besides aiming to paint himself as a victim, he could use a Texas law or credit/background checks which allow access to the necessary information on immigration status without expressly having to compel an applicant to provide proof.
• Supporting an organization which accused the Williamson County GOP of rigging the reorganization election and attempted to have the results overturned by the state party because his preferred candidates did not win.
• Sponsorship of the bill which stripped local GOPs of caucus and convention rights in seeming retaliation after conservatives swept the Williamson County GOP reorganization instead of the heavily-financed slate of candidates supported by Reeves and other establishment RINOs.
• Campaign financing of over $780,000 through independent spending by the School Freedom Fund, a dark money group which is under the umbrella of Club for Growth, an anti-Trump organization. The Fund has been relentlessly attacking Jody Barrett in his congressional campaign and poured millions of dollars into Tennessee House races last year to ensure the election of those who blindly supported Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program.
• Claiming “political cult leaders” are on the rise in Tennessee and appearing to demean conservative and grassroots efforts.
As of this writing, neither Reeves nor his campaign have responded to the theft incident.
With early voting ending Thursday and Election Day on Tuesday, Oct. 7, a last-minute blunder of this magnitude could cost his campaign any remaining momentum it may have carried.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
