Solid RGovernor · Tennessee

Tennessee Governor

Misam Abidi (I) vs. Marsha Blackburn (R) vs. Dean Brewer (I) vs. Ray Brown (I) vs. Jerri Green (D) vs. David Hatley (I) vs. Wendell Jackson (I) vs. Charles Van Morgan (I) vs. Eddie Lee Murphy (I) vs. Lauren Pinkston (I) vs. Victor L. Scoggin (I) vs. Dave Seeman (I) vs. Karl Knox Smithson (I) vs. L. Webb Taylor (I) vs. Robert C. Vick (I). General election Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

What does a governor do?

Runs the state government. Proposes the state budget, signs or vetoes bills passed by the legislature, and appoints the heads of state agencies. Usually 4 years (2 in NH and VT).

State budget, schools and Medicaid funding
Signs or vetoes state laws
Leads emergency response and the state National Guard

Source: National Governors Association: Governors' Powers & Authority

Your options

Listed alphabetically by last name. Each box has the same sections in the same order. Donation and campaign links appear only after we confirm they belong to the candidate's own committee.

Independent

Misam Abidi

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Nolensville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

In their words: “Misam Abidi — Independent Candidate for Governor of Tennessee. Building a state where citizens have power, freedom, and opportunity to thrive.” campaign site

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Nolensville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

Campaign website

Republican

Marsha Blackburn

Who they are

U.S. Senator since Jan 3, 2019. Congress.gov

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

Sponsored 127 bills this Congress (2 became law); missed 5.8% of 915 roll-call votes. Full record

Committees: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Senate Committee on Finance; Senate Committee on the Judiciary; Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

U.S. Senator since 2019; sponsored 127 bills this Congress, 2 became law; missed 5.8% of roll-call votes; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Dean Brewer

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Knoxville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Knoxville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Ray Brown

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Oliver Springs, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Oliver Springs, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Democrat

Jerri Green

Who they are

Jerri Green is a member of the Memphis City Council in Tennessee, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2024. source

In their words: “Jerri Green is the Democratic candidate for Governor of Tennessee. A Memphis mom and lawyer fighting for working families, schools, and healthcare.” campaign site

What they say they'll do

An Economy That Works for Working Families
Public Education That Works for All
Health Care as a Right, Not a Luxury
A Future Farmers Can Count On
Environmental Stewardship for Future Generations

From their campaign site · positions on 7 topics

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Jerri Green is a member of the Memphis City Council in Tennessee, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2024; campaign site states positions on 7 of our 16 topics.

Donate on ActBlue Campaign website

ActBlue page belongs to "Jerri Green", checked against the page's own recipient details.

Independent

David Hatley

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Gray, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

Housing: Make It Cheaper to Build the Smaller House
Career and Technical Education: Build the Workforce
Public Safety: Put Violent Criminals Behind Bars
Rural Access to Health Care

From their campaign site · positions on 6 topics

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Gray, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; campaign site states positions on 6 of our 16 topics.

Campaign website

Independent

Wendell Jackson

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Clarksville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Clarksville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Charles Van Morgan

Who they are

Profession: Business owner. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Profession: Business owner; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Eddie Lee Murphy

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Spring Hill, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Spring Hill, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Lauren Pinkston

Who they are

Profession: Business development. source

What they say they'll do

01 Lower the Cost of Living for Working Families
02 Reimagine Tennessee Education
03 Hold Government Accountable to Taxpayers
Income Tax
Grocery Tax

From their campaign site · positions on 11 topics

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Profession: Business development; campaign site states positions on 11 of our 16 topics.

Campaign website

Independent

Victor L. Scoggin

Who they are

Profession: Firefighter. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Profession: Firefighter; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Dave Seeman

Who they are

Profession: Mechanical engineer. source

In their words: “Dave Seeman is running for Governor of Tennessee with a focus on Climate Action and a detailed action plan for building better government, by design.” campaign site

What they say they'll do

Competitive Elections
Farmers
Veterans & First Responders
Teachers & Care Work
Mental Health

From their campaign site · positions on 6 topics

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Profession: Mechanical engineer; campaign site states positions on 6 of our 16 topics.

Campaign website

Independent

Karl Knox Smithson

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: McMinnville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: McMinnville, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

L. Webb Taylor

Who they are

City on the official candidate list: Memphis, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

City on the official candidate list: Memphis, Tennessee. No further background found in a public source; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Independent

Robert C. Vick

Who they are

Profession: Education Administration. source

What they say they'll do

No priorities found on a campaign site yet.

What they've done

No voting record compiled yet.

Who funds them

State race: see filings at Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

In short

Profession: Education Administration; no issue positions found on a campaign site yet.

No verified campaign link yet.

Where they stand, issue by issue

Quotes are taken from each campaign's own website (first sentences of the section, unedited). Topics are assigned by keyword; we do not summarize or score positions. "No public position found" means we did not find the topic on the campaign site, not that the candidate has no view.

Topic

Misam Abidi I

Marsha Blackburn R

Dean Brewer I

Ray Brown I

Jerri Green D

David Hatley I

Wendell Jackson I

Charles Van Morgan I

Eddie Lee Murphy I

Lauren Pinkston I

Victor L. Scoggin I

Dave Seeman I

Karl Knox Smithson I

L. Webb Taylor I

Robert C. Vick I

Cost of living & jobs

No public position found

An Economy That Works for Working FamiliesTennesseans work hard. It’s time our government worked just as hard for them. Jerri Green will: End the grocery tax, and put the tax back on corporations Expand paid family and medical leave Support labor rights and collective bargaining Provide state grants for local energy storage to keep… source

No public position found

01 Lower the Cost of Living for Working FamiliesTennesseans should be able to afford their lives through honest work. Government should focus on lowering everyday costs for families while making sure the companies profiting most from Tennessee's growth pay their share toward the roads, schools, and power grid – infrastructure that benefits… source

No public position found

Worker's Rights"Tennessee has long favored employers and wealthy business owners to workers, driving down wages and driving up discrimination and deregulation. source

No public position found

Taxes & government spending

No public position found

NO TAX INCREASES NECESSARY. JUST COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONSWe don't need to ask everyday Tennesseans to pay more—we just need leadership that makes corporations pay their fair share and puts public dollars to good use. source

Stop Taxing the Kitchen TableTennessee charges a 4% state sales tax on groceries, and local taxes go on top of that. Most states do not tax food at all. It is the one tax every family pays every week, and it hits hardest on families with the least room in their budgets. Both parties filed bills this year to cut it. source

No public position found

03 Hold Government Accountable to TaxpayersTennesseans have stopped expecting their government to listen. Lauren intends to put citizens back in charge of their elected representation. source

No public position found

Health care

No public position found

Health Care as a Right, Not a LuxuryNo one should go bankrupt or die because they live in the wrong ZIP code. Jerri Green will: Expand Medicaid to cover more working families and keep rural hospitals open Protect and improve TennCare Defend reproductive freedom and the right to choose Support maternal health equity—especially for… source

Rural Access to Health CareDavid Hatley believes we must bring ER care closer to all Tennesseans, because every extra hour or minute of driving can mean lives lost. We must look at areas where we have already done this successfully in Tennessee, expand on it, and stop closing our rural hospitals. source

No public position found

Prescription Drug CostsLauren will work to reduce prescription costs by addressing the role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and expanding access to direct-pricing pharmacies, partnering with Mark Cuban and other willing partners in this industry. source

No public position found

Mental Health"Mental health needs to be a public health priority in Tennessee if we want to end the opioid crisis, reduce crime, and solve homelessness. Farmers, first responders, and veterans also currently lack the care they need to do the jobs we depend on them to do. source

No public position found

Immigration & the border

No public position found

Immigration & Community SafetyImmigrant communities contribute every day to the strength of our state and deserve to live without fear of unlawful government action. For 15 years, Lauren worked in the fight against human trafficking, so she takes the threat of international crime in Tennessee seriously. source

No public position found

Crime & public safety

No public position found

Public Safety: Put Violent Criminals Behind BarsTennessee’s violent crime rate runs about 65% above the national average. But the number that explains it is this one: only 39% of violent crimes here get solved — an eleven-point drop in a decade. Six out of every ten murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults end with nobody caught. source

No public position found

Criminal Justice ReformLauren will conduct a full assessment of Tennessee's prison system, both public and private partnerships. source

No public position found

Guns

No public position found

Gun Safety to Protect Our Kids and Our CommunitiesWe can honor the Second Amendment and still pass laws that keep our children safe. source

No public position found

Defend the 2nd Amendment, Keep Tennesseans SafeThe only gubernatorial candidate that has lived in a communist country, Lauren deeply understands why the 2nd Amendment is a critical right that must be protected. source

No public position found

Abortion

No public position found

Pro-lifeThis one is personal, and I’ll say why plainly. I’m pro-life. That comes from my own family — from watching a very small baby fight to live in his first weeks, and from the years my wife and I spent on a waiting list hoping to adopt. source

No public position found

Reproductive Health & Family PlanningAs the aunt of two incredible children born through assisted reproductive technology, Lauren believes Tennesseans should have full access to reproductive healthcare, including contraceptives and fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). source

No public position found

Schools & education

No public position found

Public Education That Works for AllWe fund what we value—and it’s time Tennessee starts valuing public schools again. source

Career and Technical Education: Build the WorkforceI’ve spent 25 years hiring welders, machinists, technicians, and managers. About 750 people work for me across manufacturing, industrial, retail, and hospitality. Every one of them came through some version of Tennessee’s workforce pipeline. This isn’t theory for me. source

No public position found

02 Reimagine Tennessee EducationLauren taught in a classroom. She understands how No Child Left Behind passed down unfunded mandates for excessive testing and paperwork while stripping creative freedoms from teachers who should be recognized for their expertise. source

No public position found

Teachers & Care Work"Redirecting voucher spending to public schools is a must, but that won't catapult us out of our low funding problem. No other candidate proposes measures to truly solve our education crisis, because no one wants to tell you that we need to raise taxes. source

No public position found

Energy & environment

No public position found

Environmental Stewardship for Future GenerationsWe don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors—we borrow it from our children. Jerri Green will: Protect Tennessee’s rivers, forests, farmland, and public lands from pollution and overdevelopment Enforce clean air and water standards, especially in marginalized communities Invest in renewable energy… source

No public position found

Lower Energy Burdens for FamiliesToo many Tennessee families spend a large share of their income on utility bills. Lauren will prioritize policies that expand access to lower-cost energy sources, modernize the power grid, and encourage competition and innovation that bring down electricity costs for working households. source

No public position found

Veterans

No public position found

Veterans & First Responders"You'd think with a deep-red legislature and governors desk that we'd take better care of veterans, but our state has had a funding deficit for veterans for many years. source

No public position found

Elections & government ethics

No public position found

Nonpartisan Local ElectionsLauren will work to restore nonpartisan county elections to keep local governance focused on problem-solving over party loyalty, and to protect schools and communities from national political polarization. source

No public position found

Competitive Elections"In the governor's race, the two major parties vet their candidates and whittle each field to one nominee in a primary. Everyone else is placed onto one independent ballot requiring only 25 signatures before being sent straight to the November general election. source

No public position found

Farming & rural issues

No public position found

A Future Farmers Can Count OnOur dinner tables depend on their hard work. Their livelihoods deserve our unwavering support. source

No public position found

Made in Tennessee AgricultureLauren will explore opportunities to produce and market beef, poultry, and pork products inside the borders of Tennessee that can be distributed safely, outside of burdensome USDA and FDA regulations. source

No public position found

Farmers"Farmers have a harder job than ever, and a more important role than ever. Not only do ya'll feed Tennessee, you have a chance to help us save our natural world and stabilize our climate. source

No public position found

Housing

No public position found

Housing: Make It Cheaper to Build the Smaller HouseTennessee is roughly 120,000 starter homes short right now. The costs that kill a starter home are mostly fixed. source

No public position found

No candidate in this race addresses on their site: Social Security & Medicare, Foreign policy & defense, Roads, transit & infrastructure.

About this race

No incumbent is on the ballot (open seat). The race is rated solidly Republican. Usually 4 years (2 in NH and VT).

Rating from the Cook Political Report race ratings, Oct 23, 2026. Candidates from the Tennessee Secretary of State, Nov. 2026 candidate list (Governor).