Governor Bill Lee is stepping into a House primary race to help ensure the seat remains supportive of his school choice proposals.¶
On Thursday Lee announced the endorsement of Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board member Aron Maberry in the House District 68 Republican Primary. Maberry is facing former Montgomery County Republican Party co-chair Carol Duffin, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Reserves director Greg Gilman, and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Smith in the House District 68 Republican Primary.¶
“I am grateful for our great governor, Bill Lee’s, support and one of only three public primary endorsements. I look forward to working with him next year in the Tennessee General Assembly,” said Mayberry.¶
The House district 68 seat opened to challengers when Representative Curtis Johnson, R-Clarksville, announced his retirement.¶
Johnson was among the 51 votes in favor of Governor Lee’s Education Savings Account program in 2019, sometimes referred to as vouchers, that allowed families in Davidson and Shelby County to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school. Lawmakers expanded the program to Hamilton County last year and the Governor made it clear that Mayberry’s support for “vouchers” and school choice is an important factor in the endorsement.¶
“Aron Maberry is a dedicated public servant and conservative champion who stands for parental rights and will work hard to deliver opportunity, security and freedom for Tennesseans, including school choice for every Tennessee family,” said Governor Bill Lee. “Aron will represent Montgomery County with integrity, and I fully support his election to the General Assembly.”¶
Governor Lee hoped to expand the Education Savings Account program statewide this year through the Education Freedom Scholarship Act. Those efforts ultimately failed when leaders in the House and Senate proposed vastly different plans and failed agree on a path to reconcile those differences.¶
The topic has continued to divide opinions statewide, with some opponents worrying school “vouchers” will only divert public education funds away from public schools that already rank low in per-pupil public school spending.¶
On his campaign website, Maberry says he believes in the rights of parents to their children’s education, including the Governor’s work to extend those rights statewide.¶
“I support Public, Private, micro-school, homeschool, and Charter schools as viable forms of education, and I support Governor Bill Lee’s call for statewide school choice,” wrote Mayberry on the website.¶
The winner of the August GOP primary will face Democrat Garfield Scott in the House District 68 general election.¶
Maberry joins House District 65 Republican candidate Lee Reeves and House District 20 Republican candidate Jason Emert in receiving the governor’s endorsement this week. Both of those seats are also open because of retirements or incumbents choosing to run for a different office.¶
