Sen. Marsha Blackburn secures GOP nomination for Tenn. Governor

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on June 16, 2025 in Washington, DC.

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn secured the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee on Thursday, positioning herself as the clear favorite to succeed term-limited Governor Bill Lee.

In the general election this November, Blackburn will face Memphis City Council member Jerri Green, who clinched the Democrat nomination. 

 

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tennessee! One year ago, we set out on this journey with one goal: to make Tennessee America’s conservative leader and show the nation what strong, bold, conservative leadership looks like. Tonight, I am humbled and honored that you’ve chosen me as your Republican nominee for Governor. Together, we’ve taken a major step toward that goal. I won’t let you down. On to November.,” she said on X.

 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tennessee!

One year ago, we set out on this journey with one goal: to make Tennessee America's conservative leader and show the nation what strong, bold, conservative leadership looks like.

Tonight, I am humbled and honored that you've… pic.twitter.com/MvbkgpZe5e

 — Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) August 7, 2026

Tennessee’s primary election night also delivered a congressional shakeup in the state’s 5^th Congressional District, where two-term Republican Rep. Andy Ogles lost his primary battle to Republican former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher.

Blackburn, who was first elected to the Senate in 2018, prevailed in a closely-watched GOP gubernatorial primary that saw opponents like U.S. Rep. John Rose spend heavily from personal funds to challenge her.

Both candidates spent the campaign aggressively aligning themselves with President Donald Trump’s platform and vying for his core supporters. Despite Rose’s multimillion-dollar advertising blitz, Blackburn’s deep statewide name recognition and strong grassroots mobilization propelled her to victory, analysts say.

 

In Middle Tennessee’s 5^th Congressional District, Hatcher pulled off a significant victory over incumbent Ogles. Hatcher, a livestock veterinarian who served as Tennessee’s Agriculture Commissioner from 2019 to 2025, labeled his candidacy around practical legislative execution, famously framing the race as a choice between a “workhorse and a show horse.”

Ogles, an outspoken conservative firebrand, struggled to overcome the challenge from the well-connected agricultural leader following a primary season shaped by new district boundaries.

Heading into the general election, Blackburn enters as the formidable favorite against Green in a deeply conservative state that has not elected a Democrat governor since 2006. A victory for Blackburn in November would make her the first female governor in Tennessee history, bringing her decades-long legislative career from Washington back to the state capitol in Nashville.