November 3, 2026 | |||||||||||
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| Elections in Tennessee |
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The 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Primary elections took place on August 6, 2026. [1] Republican senator Marsha Blackburn and Democratic city councilor Jerri Green are the nominees for their respective parties. Republican incumbent Bill Lee is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term.
Democrats have not won a statewide election in Tennessee since Phil Bredesen was re-elected governor in 2006. Either major party nominee would be the first female governor of Tennessee. [2]
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Marsha Blackburn | John Rose | Monty Fritts | Other/ Undecided [c] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race to the WH [37] | through August 1, 2026 | August 5, 2026 | 39.1% | 28.3% | 22.1% | 10.5% | Blackburn +10.8% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [d] | Margin of error | Marsha Blackburn | John Rose | Monty Fritts | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wick [38] [e] [A] | July 29 – August 1, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 51% | 32% | 17% | – | – |
| 45% | 28% | 17% | – | 9% | ||||
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [39] [B] | July 26–28, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 25% | 22% | – | 11% |
| OnMessage Inc. [40] | July 23–25, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 35% | 31% | 26% | – | 9% |
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [41] [B] | June 28–30, 2026 | – (LV) | – | 51% | 20% | 12% | – | 17% |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R) [42] [C] | June 28–30, 2026 | 600 (LV) | – | 44% | 29% | 13% | – | 14% |
| Targoz Market Research [43] [D] | April 20–27, 2026 | 529 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 63% | 10% | 5% | – | 22% |
| VictoryPhones [44] [E] | March 18–24, 2026 | 300 (LV) | ± 5.7% | 56% | 14% | 11% | – | 20% |
| Cygnal (R) [45] | March 16–17, 2026 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 58% | 7% | – | 5% | 30% |
| VictoryPhones [46] [E] | February 5–8, 2026 | – (LV) | – | 61% | 8% | 5% | – | 26% |
| Targoz Market Research [47] [D] | January 11–18, 2026 | 559 (LV) | – | 56% | 9% | 7% | 1% [f] | 27% |
| Targoz Market Research [48] [D] | October 26–29, 2025 | 545 (RV) | – | 58% | 9% | 5% | – | 29% |
| Quantus Insights (R) [49] | August 5–7, 2025 | – | – | 35% | 6% | – | 22% [g] | 37% |
| Targoz Market Research [50] [D] | July 27 – August 1, 2025 | 623 (RV) | ± 2.8% | 66% | 14% | – | – | 19% |
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [51] [52] [B] | January 13–16, 2025 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 71% | 13% | – | – | 16% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Marsha Blackburn | 311,392 | 43.6 | |
| Republican | John Rose | 235,561 | 32.9 | |
| Republican | Monty Fritts | 168,004 | 23.5 | |
| Write-in | 1 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 714,958 | 100.0 | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [d] | Margin of error | Carnita Atwater | Tim Cyr | Jerri Green | Adam Kurtz | Kevin Lee McCants | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Targoz Market Research [43] [D] | April 20–27, 2026 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.8% | 8% | 3% | 14% | 2% | 11% | 62% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerri Green | 244,277 | 69.0 | |
| Democratic | Carnita Atwater | 63,289 | 17.9 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Lee McCants | 18,972 | 5.4 | |
| Democratic | Tim Cyr | 14,799 | 4.2 | |
| Democratic | Adam Kurtz | 12,465 | 3.5 | |
| Total votes | 353,802 | 100.0 | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [66] | Solid R | October 23, 2026 |
| Decision Desk HQ [67] | Likely R | October 23, 2026 |
| Fox News [68] | Solid R | October 20, 2026 |
| Inside Elections [69] | Solid R | October 15, 2026 |
| NBC News [70] | Solid R | October 23, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics [71] | Solid R | October 12, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [72] | Safe R | October 22, 2026 |
| Silver Bulletin [73] | Solid R | October 23, 2026 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [d] | Margin of error | Marsha Blackburn (R) | Jerri Green (D) | David Hatley (I) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spry Strategies (R) [80] | October 10–15, 2026 | 635 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 44% | 32% | 12% | 2% [h] | 10% |
| TargetSmart [81] [F] | September 9–12, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 45% | 36% | 10% | 2% [i] | 7% |
| Targoz Market Research [83] [D] | August 15–26, 2026 | 1,149 (RV) | ± 2.77% | 46% | 33% | – | 8% [j] | 14% |
| Targoz Market Research [83] [D] | August 15–26, 2026 | 601 (LV) | ± 2.77% | 55% | 34% | – | 7% | 4% |
| Targoz Market Research [43] [D] | April 20–27, 2026 | 1,200 (RV) | ± 2.8% | 51% | 27% | – | 22% | |
| Quantus Insights (R) [49] | August 5–7, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 49% | 28% | – | 7% [k] | 17% |
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) will not run for governor in 2026, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Jacobs spent months laying the groundwork for a run for governor in 2026, but endorsed Blackburn the night of Jan. 14
There are also four democrats running for this position: Jerri Green, Carnita Atwater, Adam Kurtz, and Tim Cyr...