2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election
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Elections in Tennessee |
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Government |
The 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Lee is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- John Rose, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 6th congressional district (2019–present)[1]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator (2019–present)[2]
- Tim Burchett, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 2nd congressional district (2019–present)[3][4]
Potential
[edit]- Joe Baker, attorney[5][4]
- Bill Hagerty, U.S. Senator (2021–present)[6]
- Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State (2009–present)[7]
- Damon Hininger, CEO of CoreCivic[5][4]
- Andy Ogles, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 5th congressional district (2023–present)[3][4]
- Cameron Sexton, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (2019–present)[4]
Declined
[edit]- Mark Green, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 7th congressional district (2019–present)[8]
- Glenn Jacobs, mayor of Knox County (2018–present) (endorsed Blackburn)[9]
- Stuart McWhorter, Tennessee Commissioner of Economic & Community Development (2022–present)[10]
Endorsements
[edit]Marsha Blackburn (not declared)
- Local officials
- Glenn Jacobs, mayor of Knox County (2018–present)[9]
Polling
[edit]Hypothetical polling
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Potential
[edit]- Raumesh Akbari, minority leader of the Tennessee State Senate (2023–present) from the 29th district (2019–present)[5]
- London Lamar, state senator from the 33rd district (2022–present)[5]
- Justin Pearson, state representative from the 86th district (February 2023–April 2023; April 2023–present)[5]
Declined
[edit]- Steve Cohen, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 9th congressional district (2007–present)[12]
General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
270toWin[13] | Safe R | January 5, 2025 |
The Cook Political Report[14] | Solid R | January 23, 2025 |
See also
[edit]- Elections in Tennessee
- Political party strength in Tennessee
- Tennessee Democratic Party
- Tennessee Republican Party
- Government of Tennessee
- 2026 United States Senate election in Tennessee
- 2026 Tennessee elections
Notes
[edit]- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by Blackburn
References
[edit]- ^ Sher, Andy (January 27, 2025). "Rose tells friends, supporters he's on go for 2026 governor's race". State Affairs. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Wethington, Caleb (January 20, 2025). "Sen. Blackburn says she will seriously consider run for TN governor after Inauguration Day". WVLT-TV. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ a b Solender, Andrew (November 27, 2024). "Scoop: A huge wave of House members is eyeing runs for other offices in 2026". Axios. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Jones, Vivian (December 16, 2024). "Who could run for Tennessee governor in the 2026 GOP primary? The early possibilities". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Rau, Nate (June 20, 2024). "An early look at Tennessee's 2026 governor's race". Axios.
- ^ Feinberg, Allie (December 4, 2024). "Glenn Jacobs lays the groundwork for run for Tennessee governor with Big Red PAC". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ Rau, Nate (February 21, 2024). "Mark Green's retirement could kickstart governor's race". Axios.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (December 12, 2024). "GOP Rep. Ciscomani passes on run for Arizona governor". Axios. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) will not run for governor in 2026, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
- ^ a b Feinberg, Allie (January 14, 2025). "Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs endorses Sen. Marsha Blackburn for governor". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
Jacobs spent months laying the groundwork for a run for governor in 2026, but endorsed Blackburn
- ^ Schelzig, Erik (December 6, 2024). "Gubernatorial rumblings: McWhorter decides against '26 bid, Jacobs launches fundraising arm". State Affairs. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Andrew Solender [@andrewsolender] (November 27, 2024). "Here's what he told me: 'I'm flattered that I'm considered a gubernatorial candidate. But in Tennessee, the Democrat nominee has a better chance of winning than I have of being Super Bowl MVP, but not much better.'" (Tweet). Retrieved November 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "2025-26 Gubernatorial Elections Map". 270toWin. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.