Bill Lee, seeking a second four-year term, was piling up a large victory margin on Tuesday.
Governor
Bill Lee (R) 1,121,867
Jason Martin (D) 566,133
There were also eight Independent candidates.
In Hamilton County, it was Lee 60,604 and Martin 38,836.
Governor Lee won Bradley County by 20,405 to 4,075.
Also, the four state Constitutional Amendments were winning support:
1 Yes 1,132,640 No 489,797 Hamilton Co. Yes 38,836 No 29,330
2 Yes 1,166,558 No 396,318 Hamilton Co. Yes 69,169 No 22,191
3 Yes 1,283,031 No 330,350 Hamilton Co. Yes 78,138 No 17,047
4 Yes 1,012,566 No 587,944 Hamilton Co. Yes 58,554 No 36,850
The Amendments include:
1. Add a new section to article XI of the Tennessee Constitution to make it illegal for any person, corporation, association, or the State of Tennessee or its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person because of the person’s membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.
2. Add to article III, section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution a process for the temporary exercise of the powers and duties of the governor by the Speaker of the Senate - or the Speaker of the House if there is no Speaker of the Senate in office - when the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor.
3. Change the current language in article I, section 33 of the Tennessee Constitution, which says that slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a person who has been duly convicted of crime, are forever prohibited in this State. The amendment would delete this current language and replace it with the following language: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.”
4. Delete article IX, section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution, which prohibits ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomination from holding a seat in either House of the legislature.