[4] In the Republican primary election, Lee faced Congresswoman Diane Black, Knoxville businessman and former Tennessee Economic and Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, and state House speaker Beth Harwell.

[4][19] Originally considered a long shot, Lee rose in the polls as Boyd and Black launched negative advertising against each other.

[28] In the November 8 general election, Lee was reelected, receiving 1,129,390 votes (64.9%) to Democratic nominee Jason Martin's 572,818 (32.9%).

[35][36] Passed in the final hours of the General Assembly 2020 session on a party-line vote, it was challenged in federal court by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

[36] A federal judge immediately blocked its enforcement because it violated Supreme Court precedent, such as Roe v. Wade, which prohibits undue burdens on pre-viability abortions.

[35] After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Lee supported Tennessee's near-total ban on abortion, which has no exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother's health.

[39][5] Lee has said the ban provides "maximum protection possible for both mother and child", but it makes no explicit exceptions for the pregnant patient's health.

[5] Lee opposes the expansion of TennCare, the state's Medicaid program, as allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

[42] In January 2020, Lee signed an executive order effective March 1, 2020, that offered state employees three months' paid leave for new parents and caregivers of sick relatives.

[44] In September 2020, Lee supported a Tennessee delegation that traveled to Beijing to enhance trade and economic linkages between the state and the People's Republic of China.

[48] Lee has also promoted the GIVE program, which prioritizes learning opportunities in rural counties and enhances career and technical education statewide.

Notably,[63] it reclassifies camping on state property, after being warned of trespass, from a misdemeanor to a felony offense punishable by up to 6 years in prison.

[65] The law allows for "the possibility for couples to be refused marriage for a whole host of reasons, including their race, religion or national origin".

[67][68][69] Lee's decision was opposed by Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton.

[74] In 2022, Lee set a temporary moratorium on Tennessee's death penalty, citing concerns about botched executions.

[78] After the Covenant School shooting in Nashville on March 27, 2023, Lee did not initially call for any gun control, saying: "There will come a time to discuss and debate policy.

[81] Four days after the shooting, with large protests in the state calling for reforms, Lee declined to say whether he would support gun control measures but did say that "individuals who are a threat to themselves or to others shouldn't have access to weapons.

"[82] In the wake of the scandals around the 2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions, which occurred after protests in favor of gun control, Lee signed an executive order on April 11 strengthening background checks for gun purchases and also called for the state legislature to pass an "order of protection law".

[84][85] After Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020, several weeks before the presidential election, Lee supported Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant seat, citing his position on abortion.

[92] On January 8, 2021, two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to disrupt the counting of the electoral votes and keep Trump in power, Lee condemned the riot and acknowledged Biden as president-elect.

[4] He emphasized his Christian faith, creating an office devoted to faith-based initiatives, and declared October 10 an official voluntary day of prayer and fasting.

[95] In January 2020, he signed into law a bill that assures continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption agencies that exclude LGBT families and others based on religious beliefs.

[98] Lee signed legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in sports opposite to their biological sex, making Tennessee the third state to do so.

[102] The American Civil Liberties Union sued to stop the law,[103] and in July 2021, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking its enforcement, finding that it violated the First Amendment.

[104] On February 27, 2023, Lee declared that he would sign the Adult Entertainment Act, which bans public drag performances; the first violation of the law would be a misdemeanor, while the second would be a felony.

Lee's announcement came two days after photos of him dressed in drag at a powderpuff game went viral on social media platform Reddit.

The 1977 high school yearbook photo shows Lee dressed as a female cheerleader, wearing a wig and pearl necklace.

[112][113] On March 12, 2020, in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, Lee issued an executive order declaring a temporary state of emergency in Tennessee to "facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19.

[26] In August 2021, Lee signed an executive order that allowed parents to let their children opt out of school mask mandates.

[135] In July 2019, Lee toured damage in West Tennessee inflicted by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Barry.