NASHVILLE (AP) — State Rep. Sheila Butt, who has drawn national attention for her statements about race and climate change, has announced she won't seek a fifth term in the Tennessee House next year.
The Tennessean reports that the Columbia Republican was heavily criticized in 2015 for calling for the creation of "an NAAWP in the country." The acronym has been used by white supremacist organizations to mean "National Association for the Advancement of White People." Butt insisted she meant for the W to stand for "Western."
In 2011, Butt told House colleagues that when she was in high school senior, students "gave up Aqua Net hairspray" because it was causing global warming. She contended that scientists later concluded that more aerosol could have prevented global warming by "absorbing the earth's rays."