Lee Watts

Lee Watts (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on May 17, 2022.

Watts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lee Watts was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky.^[1] Watts served in the U.S. Air Force from 1998 to 2008. He earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Indiana Baptist College in 2013. Watts' career experience includes working as a chaplain with the Kentucky state capitol.^[2]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Incumbent Brett Guthrie defeated Hank Linderman in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brett Guthrie (R)	71.9	170,487
	Hank Linderman (D)	28.1	66,769

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 237,256
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Hank Linderman defeated William Compton in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on May 17, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Hank Linderman	58.2	20,174
	William Compton	41.8	14,465

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,639
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Incumbent Brett Guthrie defeated Lee Watts and Brent Feher in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on May 17, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brett Guthrie	78.1	52,265
	Lee Watts	17.9	11,996
	Brent Feher	4.0	2,681

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,942
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Stephen Harvey (R)
Christopher Henning (R)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

Lee Watts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Watts' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lee Watts grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Finishing high school, he attended Western KY University where he studied speech communications. After college he joined the Air Force.

Military assignments moved him to several spots across the globe - including a combat tour in Iraq. After the war, the Air Force assigned him to NATO headquarters.

Finishing military service, Lee moved his family back to Kentucky, and served as chaplain to the Kentucky capitol for 13 years.

He hosts the YouTube channel Patriot Point, and for more than a decade has crossed the country teaching the history of Constitutional principles, organizing events to support the police and stand for conservative ideals.

Lee and his wife Chrissy have two children, two dogs and one extra fluffy bunny. He is now a Republican candidate for Congress in the 2nd District.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

In the military, I took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic. That oath didn't expire the day I left active duty. Our Constitutional rights are under attack from within our own government, so I've entered politics to fulfil that sacred oath.
This is supposed to be a government "Of the People" not "Of Career Politicians." The Trump presidency showed that real improvement is possible and in a short period of time. What we have now are many who work to keep the status quo and not make waves. Water that doesn't make waves is a swamp. It's time to drain the swamp.
Liberty is not a spectator sport. As President Reagan said, "It must be taught and defended." For too long

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Election integrity- We must restore the validity of the ballot box. This is key to restoring and preserving a government "of the people" and not one of those who manipulate results.

Life- Abortion is murder. The only time it should be considered is if the mother's life is in jeopardy. This is a situation my family faced. Fortunately, the doctor was able to save them both.

Energy Independence- America is blessed with enough resources to not only be independent from others, but to use that as a source of strength and influence world-wide. We should open the pipelines and mine our own resources instead of paying rival nations for the same thing and, in effect, funding our opponents.

Medical Liberty- The people should have the right to choose for themselves if they wish to take a vaccine or not. If a vaccine actually works, then those who choose to not take should be no threat to those who choose to take it.

Gun Rights- If we ever lose our right to bear arms then all of our other rights will soon vanish as well. The only people who obey gun laws are law-abiding citizens, who are not threat to you anyway. As Thomas Jefferson said, "It is the people's right and duty to be at all times armed."

Immigration- The Statue of Liberty welcomed those immigrating to America, but what we have now is not immigration, it is invasion. We must secure the border immediately! I would support military forces being deployed at our borders to this end.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus Christ- as He is my Lord and the perfect example in all things. While the others on this list are far from perfect, they have some attributes and ideas that I highly regard and shape my worldview.

Thomas Jefferson- his ideals on state-level control and the governmental power flowing from the bottom up (not the top down) is a philosophy I wholly share.

Ronald Reagan- his statement "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem" sums up my philosophy that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well as, or as economically as the private sector of the economy. Government's proper roll is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence when it says "To secure these rights, governments are instituted." That lets us know that government's job is to secure our rights, not to control or have a hand in nearly every other aspect of our lives.

Donald Trump- he showed that true change is possible, we don't have to accept the status quo and that many of the establishment of both sides don't want solutions. They mostly want to power and keep the problems to justify more taxation and power grabs.

Jocko Graves- one of the earlies heroes of the American revolution who showed dedication to others, to liberty and to never quitting no matter the cost.

Harold B. Sightler- a great preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and one who proved to me the absolute vitalness of the Holy Spirit's power in all things.

Jerry Watts- my father. He was the textbook way a dad is supposed to be. If every American had such a figure guide them through life, we would have a far stronger, safer, caring and stable society... and there would be more Corvettes and Olive Gardens.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Books - Original Intent by David Barton; The 5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen

Essay - The Federalist Papers

Film- Braveheart and The Patriot

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy known as someone who worked for a restoration of liberty and put power back into the hands of the people. As the Founding Fathers said, "Government is a very good servant, but a terrible master."

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was 10 years-old, I remember watching the news about the Iran hostage crisis. I recall how President Carter showed weakness for months with this then how President Reagan promised to use the full might of the US military and the result was the hostages being released on his very first day in office. This was a lesson to me throughout my life and one President Reagan often said, "Peace through strength."

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Living in America by James Brown

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House of Representatives is the branch of the federal government that should be most close to the people. That is a key factor often forget. As President Reagan said, "We are a people with a government, not a government that has people." With only two-year terms, the system was designed for House members to constantly be pushed to go back and meet with their people instead of being isolated in a distant city for years and becoming detached from what it's like to be an average citizen back home. A problem is many of those in Congress rarely face a challenger, are able to collect such corporate donations where it is nearly impossible for a challenger to run a viable campaign with only support from the people. The House should be the part of federal government that is "the people's voice."

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Our system of government was designed to be run by the citizens, not career politicians. When we have those who have run a successful private enterprise then take a political office the government runs better. An example of this is the Biblical account of the talents (units of money). Three people were entrusted with various sums of money. Those who turned a profit were rewarded proportionally to their success with positions in civil government. (See Luke 19:16-19).

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest challenges to the United States for the next decade are not from without but from within. If America is strong within, then it has a greatly positive influence on international stability on all levels. Some of the greatest challenges we MUST succeed at are: securing our elections, fully energy independence, restoration of liberties too often infringed on such as big tech censoring free speech, corporations taking away medical liberties, infringements upon our second amendment rights and securing our borders.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Typically, representatives serve on two committees and four subcommittees. My biggest focus is the restoration of personal liberties. With these two things in mind, I would like to be on the budget committee and the appropriations committee. By funding or not funding various programs you can turn the control of that area of life back over to the people.

For sub-committees I'd like to be on:
1) Veteran's Affairs -as a veteran I feel very passionately about this
2) Natural Resources - I believe these are being misused. We are currently paying our rivals for resources we have, which we could get cheaper, faster probably more environmentally friendly ourselves than what we are getting now from others now.
3) Education and Labor- if the past few years have shown anything, it's proven that America's education system is inundated with socialist philosophy, anti-American re-writing of history and needs a major overhaul.

4) Homeland Security- protecting home is hugely important. At the same time we must keep in mind the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither. " I'll add to that saying with this, "They'll wind up with neither." The people's 4th amendment rights (among others) are being grossly violated under the guise of "Security." We need to balance security with liberty and right now, that's way out of balance.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

With two-year terms, Representative are nearly constantly campaigning. With Senators having six-year terms, I would support moving Representative terms to half of that, three-years per term. It would also save millions of dollars from not having to run an election every other year.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

The reason we have term limits for the president and governors is because the Founding Fathers knew one person should not have too much power for too long. This is sound reasoning and the same reason I am for term limits for all positions (from Congress to dog catcher). Our great Republic is designed to be "Of the People" not "of career politicians." We can debate on how long a term should be, but this is an issue I fully support.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

There are several representatives throughout history who I admire in one aspect or another, but the minute I mention one, those wishing to attack will invariably point out something bad about that person. My record will stand on its own.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The story behind the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner has been particularly moving to me. You can hear the story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxGNQE5ZLA

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

While a degree of compromise is necessary, I believe we have gone WAY too far on this. The solution to getting good things done while not at the cost of also allowing a bad thing to advance is ONE TOPIC bills. Bills before both the federal and state-level legislatures should be single topic. This would prevent massive amounts of special-interest spending and allow for far greater transparency in where a legislator actually stands.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The people are taxed enough already. As President Reagan said, "It's not the government taxes too little, it's that it spends too much." The best way to stimulate the economy is to let the people keep their own money, get the government out of the myriad of things it is doing now that it should never have stuck its nose into (which would save millions) and move to one item bills that would cut out or expose special interest spending.
I believe a consumption-based tax system is the most fair approach. It would encourage saving (making the people less dependent upon government) and make it where every illegal invader in the country would immediately start paying taxes instead of only taking benefits (which would result in millions of new tax-payers overnight.) When the people keep more of their money, they spend it. This results in a higher standard of living for the people, helps businesses around the country and would result in the government having more also.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Watts' campaign website stated the following:

“

2nd Amendment

I am a STRONG supporter of the 2nd Amendment and carry a weapon on me most places. I know how to use it, too! When the Constitution says "shall not be infringed" it means anything "infringing" is unconstitutional. Thomas Jefferson said, "The beauty of the 2nd Amendment is that it will not be needed... until they try to take it away.''"

Life

Life begins at conception. Abortion is murder. The ONLY time it should be considered is if the mother's life is in jeopardy. This is a decision that my family had to face. Thankfully, the Lord was gracious, and the doctor was able to save them both.

Energy

America is blessed with resources to be completely energy independent. Energy independence is key to national security and economic stability. We should open the piplelines and mine our own resources instead of paying others for the same materials at higher cost and, in effect, funding our rivals. If someone doesn't like pipelines, then they should turn off the gas and water lines to their house.

Government Spending

America must get its financial house in order! President Reagan said, "It's not that the government taxes too little, it's that it spends too much." That is the key. We must cut the massive amount of wasteful government spending. I support a balanced budget amendment. I will oppose measures to increase spending. We shouldn't send one more red cent overseas while there is a homeless vet or American in need!

Illegal Immigration

The Statue of Liberty welcomed tens of thousands who came here legally. I'm all for LEGAL immigration and am wholly opposed to invasion! The military should be deployed immediately to secure our borders. Doing this would also reduce the amounts of drugs, gang members and voter rolls of the Democratic Party.

Taxes

The tax code should be entierly revamped. I support a consumption-based tax system. This would encourage saving and result in million of illegal aliens paying taxes instead of only getting benefits. Property tax should be eliminated. Otherwise, no one owns property, we all just rent it from the government. As long as the government is sending money overseas, they must not need ours anyway.

Constitution

The Constitution will be the litmus test for EVERY vote I take in Congress. For years I've crossed the Commonwealth teaching the principles and specifics of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I look forward to teaching it to those in the U.S. Capitol. If you have an extra copy, please mail it to Biden or Pelosi, I don't think they have a copy.

Military (& Police)

I served in the military for 11 years, including a combat tour in Iraq. I am for fully funding and supporting our military. Military support includes not abandoning our troops, equipment or allies as the Biden administration did in Afghanistan! I also support our police and oppose measures to defund them. Defunding police is one of the most foolish things I've ever heard.

Election Reform

Being able to have honest elections is essential to rescuing our republic! I do not believe a guy who hardly campaigned and couldn't draw enough crowds to fill a high school gym received the most votes in all of American history. Election reform is one of my top priorities.

Medical Liberty

Every American should free to make vaccination decisions for themselves and not to have that dictated to them by the government, their employeer or anyone else. I wholly oppose vaccine passports. If you want to get a vaccine, feel free, but those who don't wish to do so should be just as free!^[3]

”

—Lee Watts' campaign website (2022)^[4]

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Lee Watts For Congress, "About," accessed February 21, 2022
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 2, 2022
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Lee Watts for Congress, “Issues,” accessed February 24, 2022

[show]

Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)

[bio-1] Lee Watts For Congress, "About," accessed February 21, 2022

[bio2-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 2, 2022

[quotedisclaimer-3] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[4] Lee Watts for Congress, “Issues,” accessed February 24, 2022

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Lee Watts

Contents

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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