Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller Announces Run for Congress
Prominent Nashville songwriter Lee Thomas Miller has officially announced his run for Congress to represent Tennessee.
Miller is a songwriter behind numerous country hits, including the No. 1 hits "The Impossible" for Joe Nichols, "The World", "I'm Still a Guy" and "Perfect Storm" for Brad Paisley, "You're Gonna Miss This" for Trace Adkins, Terri Clark's "I Just Wanna Be Mad" and Tim McGraw's "Southern Girl." "You're Gonna Miss This," "The Impossible" and Jamey Johnson's "In Color" were also nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Country Song. Miller is running for the District 7 House seat that U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has held since 2002. Blackburn is vacating the seat to run for the Senate.
“I’ve been writing the stories of real Americans for as long as I can remember," Miller said in a press release announcing his candidacy Tuesday (Nov. 14). "Stories about life and loss. Love and regret. Songs about innocence and youth. Songs about faith and the struggle to keep it. I give a voice to those who can not find the words they are looking for. I give a voice to those who are not being heard.”
Miller touts his status as a political outsider and the fact that he is a Williamson County resident as two strategic advantages in his campaign. The seventh district includes the affluent Nashville suburban area, which is home to a number of prominent music business players.
Miller is not a complete novice to the political process; though he has never held public office, he serves as the President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. He has testified before Congress around issues of songwriters' royalties and music copyrights in that capacity, according to Nashville's Tennessean newspaper.
The songwriter is running as a Republican, and he lists religious liberties, a pro-life stance, cutting taxes and regulations and border security as key items he supports. Prior to his announcement, a number of top Nashville music business leaders signed a letter of support for his candidacy, including Curb Records CEO Mike Curb, songwriters Luke Laird, Liz Rose and busbee, and Brad Paisley and Dustin Lynch.
See Country Music's Most Political Singers