Songwriter abandons bid for 7th Congressional District seat

Just a month after announcing he would seek the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District, country music songwriter Lee Thomas Miller has changed his mind.

From the Nashville Post:

“I am grateful to the friends and complete strangers who have supported my run for congress. I believe that citizens have the ability and right to help shape the direction of our nation. I also think that the people know better what is good for them than does the government,” Miller said in a press release Monday morning.

“My amazing wife endorsed this massive challenge under the one condition: that I run as myself without becoming somebody I am not,” Miller continued. “I looked forward to this race and the opportunity to change things that I think are broken. But as a husband and father it quickly became obvious that this campaign would require me to compromise far more of myself than I would ever be willing.

“So, I will end my campaign for U.S. House of Representatives while taking with me the same desire to protect faith, family and freedom that I have always had. I will also go back to using my voice and experience to defend the American songwriter,” Miller concluded.

…As an unpaid advocate, Miller has led the lobbying efforts of the Nashville Songwriters Association International to advance changes in copyright and royalty laws, at times working with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on legislation. Miller is also a Christian conservative who has been involved in two lawsuits over school prayer in the past decade. 

Miller’s exit leaves state Sen. Mark Green (R-Ashland City) as the only Republican in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the 7th District. Blackburn leaving her seat to run for Senate.

Tennessee Star has this quote from Green: Lee Thomas Miller is a great American who captures in song the emotions of life’s challenges… I am hopeful that he will continue to help me address the issues near his heart that brought him into this race–like intellectual property rights. I deeply respect his willingness to step into the arena.”