Tennessee State Rep. Monty Fritts announces run for governor
Local Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee state Rep. Monty Fritts is running for state governor, he said, during a Friday morning appearance on a Nashville Radio Show.
The announcement comes less than a week after Rep. Fritts, who represents Kingston, Tennessee, criticized the office of Gov. Bill Lee for allowing state budget growth to balloon at a rate of 50% over six years, which Fritts characterized as “out of control.”
Fritts also responded to recent appeals made by state officials regarding a recent court ruling that invalidated two-state gun laws, saying that if the verdict is left unchallenged, it would appear to allow guns to be possessed by minors and people unfit to carry in public places. In his statement, Fritts included a letter sent to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office, urging him to press Gov. Lee to drop the appeal.
“They [the governor’s office] have actively worked against the rights of Tennesseans in many areas, none more egregious than this,” writes part of a statement posted to Fritts’ Facebook page on Tuesday. “The elitist political class in Nashville, who think the average Tennessean doesn’t really matter, is reportedly appealing a court victory won by the people in Hughes v Lee. The court declared Tennessee code unconstitutional regarding intent to go armed (a Jim Crow era law holdover) and the ability to protect oneself in a park or public space. The Nashville establishment elitists appear to be willing to expend more of your hard-earned dollars taken as taxes to fund the argument against our Creator-endowed rights.”
Fritt’s full statement can be read below:
https://www.facebook.com/monty.fritts.52/posts/3122642607895473?ref=embed_post
Earlier in the year, Cookville native and Republican Congressman John Rose announced his campaign to run for governor. Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green announced her run for governor in July.