Image Credit: Representative Lee Reeves / Facebook & Antony-22 /CC
Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
Having completed two-years in the General Assembly, Rep. Lee Reeves (R-Franklin-District 65) is running for reelection on the August 6 ballot, calling himself “an effective and thoughtful lawmaker” and touting his recognition as one of the Tennessee Journal Freshman of the Year.
But constituents may be interested in a deeper look at Reeves’ voting record as some highlights from the past few years, including his actions outside the statehouse, may cause conservatives to question if he deserves another two years in office.
2024
While Reeves was not yet in office and still on the campaign trail for HD65, The Tennessee Conservative broke an exclusive story with information tying Reeves to ownership of an apartment complex in Texas housing hundreds of illegal aliens.
According to the documents, this building had illegal immigrants renting units at about an 80% occupancy rate with the majority of those residents not having Social Security or IT numbers.
Reeves admitted ownership of the complex in an interview but later tried to blame other investors in his company and federal government regulations for an inability to properly screen applicants’ legal statuses.
After more research, The Tennessee Conservative discovered that Texas law allows all landlords to require full background and credit checks for all their residents, requiring a Social Security or ITIN numbers, which Reeves’ complex chose not to take advantage of, thereby deliberately choosing not to obtain applicants’ immigration status without expressly having to compel the applicant to provide proof.
Yet Reeves campaigned on demagnetizing the state of Tennessee to illegal immigration and promised to sponsor legislation creating a new criminal statute making entry into the state by an illegal alien a misdemeanor and then a felony for additional violations as his first bill in the legislature.
“I’m the only candidate in this race who, like President Trump, has made immigration a top priority and who has offered a specific plan to demagnetize Tennessee to illegal immigrants. I understand these issues better than both of my opponents, which is why I’m the only candidate discussing illegal immigration in detail. I’m ready to be a leading voice in this fight on Day One as State Representative,” Reeves said at the time.
His campaign was also heavily boosted by over $780,000 worth of independent spending by the School Freedom Fund, a dark money group under the umbrella of the anti-Trump Club for Growth.
2025
Reeves was named one of the top 5 House RINOs in the 2025 edition of the RINO Report thanks to several votes for and sponsorship of legislation contradictory to conservative values or constituent desires.
Sponsored Legislation To Strip Local GOPs Of Right To Caucus: Becoming a very contentious bill in 2025, HB0855 stripped local political parties of their ability to hold caucuses or conventions and mandated state-run primary elections when selecting their partisan candidates. The legislation was decried by local GOPs, grassroots organizations, voters, and even the Tennessee GOP State Executive Committee which called the measure a “betrayal of trust”. Lee sponsored the bill along with party leadership, putting personal political interests over supporting the will of his constituents.
Killed Legislation Securing Homeschool Rights: Supported by the national Homeschool Legal Defense Association and the Tennessee Home Educators Association, HJR0092 was a proposed constitutional amendment affirming parents have the “inherent and fundamental right” to direct their child’s upbringing, including their education. The resolution would also have ensured that the freedom to homeschool as parents see fit could not be compromised by accepting any publicly funded education scholarships, grants, or vouchers. Reeves joined two other Republicans in voting “No” on the measure, resulting in a tie vote and killing the bill.
Helped Redefine Abortion Exceptions: Reeves voted “Yes” on HB0990 which undermined Tennessee’s protections for the unborn by introducing ambiguous language into the legal framework governing abortion exceptions. The bill redefined the term “inevitable abortion” as a condition under which abortion can be considered legally permissible, introducing subjective standards that created broad interpretive loopholes in a law which previously held clear, strong protections.
Voted To Expand Digital ID: While initially presented as a good bill preventing digital IDs from being used for voting, HB1316 extended beyond those parameters, expanding Tennessee’s digital ID system and introducing provisions for biometric data collection into state law for the first time. While it did include some privacy safeguards like those for geolocation tracking, it still allows third-party entities to manage digital IDs, creating risks for personal data breaches and government overreach. Reeves voted “Yes” to potentially paving the way for further digital ID expansions in Tennessee.
For the 2025 legislative session, the Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Reeves a vote score of 77 and a D for leadership grade. The report shows a little less than 25% of his campaign contributions come from special interest groups. To read the full report, click HERE.
Reeves then decided to run in the special election to fill the Congressional District 7 seat upon Mark Green’s quitting the position, but chose not to participate in The Tennessee Conservative’s survey sent to all 11 candidates in the race.
He also faced massive backlash when one of his campaign workers was caught on camera stealing another candidate’s campaign materials, an incident to which Reeves nor his campaign ever responded or issued a statement.
2026
Voted Against Requiring Transparency For School Voucher Program: HB1544 was intended to create more transparency from the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program by requiring the Department of Education to submit an annual report to the general assembly with information about recipients of school voucher and total costs of the program including counties of residence of recipients, the private school in which the recipient is enrolled, and the annual household income of each recipient. Republicans were the only subcommittee members to vote “No” on the bill, and Reeves’ vote helped create a tie vote, killing the legislation.
Voted To Strip Citizens’ Right To Sue The State: This legislation became one of the most controversial pieces of 2026 as opponents of HB1971 contended it strips an individual’s right to challenge constitutionally questionable state laws unless they are actually harmed by it. Reeves voted “Yes” on the bill, helping pass the legislation and potentially prevent citizens from keeping their government accountable.
For those who may wish to look into other Republican candidates for HD65, Reeves will face challenger Michelle Foreman on the Aug. 6 ballot. In 2018, Foreman was elected to the TNGOP State Executive Committee and served as a delegate for Donald Trump at the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions.
In 2022 she won the Republican nomination for House District 59 amidst redistricting and had a strong showing in that election against Democrat Caleb Hemmer, winning 47.6% of the vote. She then ran against Reeves in the 2024 primary election.
Now, Foreman is back on the ballot to challenge Reeves again with a campaign focused on issues like:
- Pushing election integrity, specifically closing the primaries
- Combating illegal immigration
- Lowering taxes
- Upholding parental rights in education and homeschool protections
- Protecting life from conception
- Fighting against corporate welfare
- Curbing government overreach, especially in times of emergency
- Honoring 2nd Amendment rights, including securing constitutional carry and standing against red flag laws
To learn more, visit her official campaign website: https://michelleforeman.com/
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.
