Lee Mills

Current office and 2026 campaign

Lee Mills is a Republican member of the Tennessee State Executive Committee representing District 32 ². In 2026, he is a candidate in an upcoming election, though specific details regarding the office sought or the district for this current cycle are not provided in the available sources.

Mills previously ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives to represent District 99 as a Republican ¹. His earlier campaigns were marked by a boundary dispute between Shelby and Fayette counties that questioned his residency eligibility, which was eventually clarified by state legislation ^{3 4 7}. Mills lost the Republican primary for District 99 on August 4, 2022, to incumbent Tom Leatherwood ^{1 6}.

Background and education

Lee Mills was born in Decatur, Alabama ¹. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Auburn University in 1998 ¹².

Career

Lee Mills holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation management from Auburn University, which he earned in 1998 ¹². Professionally, he has worked as a pilot for FedEx ⁴. He also served as the chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party and was the president of the Northeast Shelby Republicans ². Additionally, Mills is an emeritus member of the Auburn University Aviation Management Advisory Board and a member of the Auburn University Liberal Arts Advisory Board ².

Mills has held leadership roles in community organizations, serving as president of the Arlington Education Foundation ². He is also affiliated with the Tennessee Republican Party ². Regarding military service, Mills did not provide information on his affiliations or service history for the 2022 election cycle ².

Office history

Lee Mills served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Shelby County and President of the Northeast Shelby Republicans ². He also held leadership roles within his alma mater, serving as President of the Auburn University Aviation Management Advisory Board in an emeritus capacity and as a member of the Auburn University Liberal Arts Advisory Board ². Additionally, Mills served as President of the Arlington Education Foundation ².

In 2020, Mills announced his candidacy for the Tennessee House of Representatives to represent District 99, challenging incumbent State Representative Tom Leatherwood in the Republican primary ⁵. The campaign was marked by a dispute over district eligibility; while the Shelby County Election Commission initially approved his petition, state officials later questioned whether he resided within the district boundaries due to a boundary clarification between Shelby and Fayette counties ⁴⁸. Despite this controversy, Mills proceeded in the primary race against Leatherwood ⁶. He lost the Republican primary election held on August 6, 2022 ¹⁶.

Documented disputes and controversies

In 2020, Lee Mills entered the Republican primary for Tennessee House District 99, challenging incumbent State Representative Tom Leatherwood by citing a lack of trust in the Legislature ⁵. During the campaign, Mills characterized Leatherwood as a "career politician" who had left a mess in the Shelby County Register of Deeds Office, while Leatherwood argued that his experience was necessary to guide Tennessee through the COVID-19 pandemic ⁶.

The 2022 primary race was marked by a dispute over Mills’ residency eligibility. The Shelby County Election Commission initially cleared Mills to run, but State Elections Coordinator Mark Goins intervened after determining that Mills resided in Fayette County rather than Shelby County, despite his long-standing payment of taxes and voting in Shelby County ⁴. This ruling triggered a boundary controversy affecting approximately 200 Arlington homeowners who had similarly assumed they lived in Shelby County ⁴. The dispute persisted until Governor Bill Lee signed legislation clarifying the exact boundary between the two counties ⁷. Mills was ultimately barred from the ballot due to this residency determination and lost the general election to Leatherwood, who won the seat on November 8, 2022 ¹.

Sources