Marsha Blackburn Wins Tennessee Governor Race, Becomes State's First Female Governor

Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee's race for governor on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, becoming the first woman elected governor in the state's history. The Republican United States senator defeated Democratic nominee Jerri Green and independent candidates David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston, among others. The Associated Press called the race for Blackburn, and its results page listed her with 950,259 votes with 98.68 percent of precincts reporting.

Unofficial results from the Tennessee Secretary of State showed Blackburn with about 45.5 percent of the vote and Green with 42.9 percent, with fewer than 55,000 votes between them, according to The Tennessean. No Tennessee governor has won with less than 50 percent of the vote in at least the last century. The Nashville Banner put Blackburn at just over 45 percent and Green at 42.95 percent in its count late on Tuesday night.

A win claimed before the call

Blackburn addressed supporters at about 10 p.m. Central time at The Pinnacle in Nashville, before the race had been called and before Green had conceded. "My promise is pretty simple: Tennessee is going to be a state where hard work pays off, where families can put down roots, and where everyone has the opportunity to build a better future," she told the crowd, according to The Tennessean.

Green conceded in Chattanooga just after 10:30 p.m. Central time. She told supporters that the votes were not fully counted but that she did not see a path to victory. "Tonight, I didn't win for you," Green said. Hatley, who put $12 million of his own money into his independent bid, conceded shortly after 9 p.m. and finished with less than 10 percent of the vote. Pinkston took 1.25 percent, according to the Nashville Banner.

Outgoing Governor Bill Lee congratulated Blackburn in a statement. Lee is term limited after eight years in office, and Blackburn will succeed him as Tennessee's next governor.

The closest governor's race in decades

Green came closer than any Democratic candidate in decades to winning a statewide race in Tennessee, and she won Hamilton County, which holds Chattanooga. Her campaign was a longshot bid to become the first Democrat elected statewide in Tennessee in 20 years, the Nashville Banner reported. Blackburn's win came on a night when Democrats won control of both the United States House and the Senate nationally.

Blackburn, 74, built her campaign around her conservative record and her support for President Donald Trump, who endorsed her shortly after the Republican primary, according to Knox News. She won the primary this summer against state Representative Monty Fritts and United States Representative John Rose.

A long road to the governor's office

Blackburn began her time in elected office in 1998, when she was elected to the Tennessee Senate. She won election to the United States House of Representatives in 2002, representing the state's 7th Congressional District, and served there until 2019. In 2018 she became the first woman elected to represent Tennessee in the United States Senate, and voters reelected her to the Senate in 2024.

Blackburn is due to be sworn in as governor on January 16, 2027, and she must resign from the Senate before then. She still has four years left on her second Senate term, and she has said she plans to stay in the Senate until she is sworn in as governor, which would let her appoint her own Senate replacement, according to the Nashville Banner and Knox News.