State Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, says she plans to announce her candidacy for governor of Tennessee soon, making a sudden entry into the race as a fellow tea party-aligned Republican senator continues to mull a bid.
Beavers, in a news statement issued Saturday evening, said over the past several weeks "it has become increasingly clear that conservatives in Tennessee are looking for bold leadership that will not shrink from standing up and speaking up on the key issues facing our state."
"President Donald J. Trump is taking the lead in Washington, D.C., to 'drain the swamp' there, but we have our own swamp in Tennessee and I intend to do the same thing in the Volunteer State," Beavers said.
Beavers, a staunch conservative, particularly on social issues, rattled off a long list of causes popular with tea party Republicans as her platform, led by the threat she says radial Islam poses on Tennesseans. She called addressing it her top priority.
"The terrorist threat from radical Islam not only impacts other countries or major cities in our own country — that threat is also targeted at our communities and our families in Tennessee, and I intend to make security a centerpiece of my campaign," she said.
The 69-year-old Beavers, who has served in the Senate since 2002 after serving four terms in the House, said she intends to formally announce her campaign in the 2018 gubernatorial Republican primary at an event at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet on Saturday.
Beavers, an early Trump supporter last year and former Trump delegate, first expressed an interest in entering the Republican primary for governor in March when it appeared Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville — at the time, a declared candidate for governor — would be Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Army. The conventional wisdom was his exit would provide an opening for a candidate like Beavers who could appeal to the far political right of the party.
Trump nominated Green in April, but Green on May 5 withdrew his own nomination amid a fierce backlash from LGBT advocacy groups and others over a trail of past controversial statements. Green is considering re-entering the race for governor and has said he would likely have a decision by Memorial Day, Monday.
Beavers, in her statement Saturday, called on Republicans "who have been wanting a clear, consistent conservative to lead the way" to get behind her campaign.
This past session, Beavers carried legislation that sought to legally define marriage as being between one man and one woman — despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision saying otherwise. She led the passage of a resolution condemning pornography as a "public health crisis." She's also consistently pushed for an elected attorney general in Tennessee.
Beavers, long ridiculed by liberals, faced criticism this year for refusing to meet with protesters who opposed her legislation that took aim at same-sex marriage and for later having personal private security at Legislative Plaza.
If elected, she pledged to lead a "full effort" to repeal Gov. Bill Haslam's recently passed gas tax increase and to set straight the state's spending practices so that "taxpayers get the biggest bang possible for their tax dollars."
And in a commitment to what she called "family values" issues, the pro-life Beavers cited abortion and restroom policies for transgender people as areas of focus.
"As governor, I will make sure that Tennessee focuses on protecting children before they are born and then providing them a safe and secure environment to grow up in after they are born," she said. "That safety and security extends to making sure that men don't go into the bathrooms and locker rooms of little girls."
Beavers' decision last week to pull out of a governor's candidate panel at the Rutherford County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner had led some to speculate she wasn't going to run. But Beavers, who had cited a "conflict," on Friday rejected that talk.
For the moment, Beavers arguably occupies the tea-party lane of the GOP primary largely to herself, but that would change if Green enters. U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tennessee, who is considering a run for governor, draws from a similar Middle Tennessee conservative base as well.
Although popular among conservative activists, Beavers could face an uphill battle in terms of campaign fundraising as she seeks to mount a statewide campaign to build name recognition beyond the Nashville area including her home Wilson County.
Former Tennessee Economic and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd and Franklin businessman Bill Lee, the only two declared Republican candidates, are expected to be able to self-finance part of their campaigns. Black would be in position to self-finance a significant amount as well if she enters the race.
Other Republicans considering running for governor are Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell and Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris.
On the Democratic side, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean is the only announced candidate, but Tennessee House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh is expected to enter as well.
Primaries for the governor's race are August 2018 ahead of the November 2018 election.
Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.