Summary
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn officially enters the Tennessee
governor race. - Primary clash set with U.S. Rep. John Rose.
- Both candidates are closely aligned with Donald Trump
support. - Blackburn aims to make Tennessee conservative
leadership stronghold. - Race follows Gov. Bill Lee reaching term limits.
The long-awaited declaration from President
Donald Trump‘s friend is now official thanks to Blackburn. The fact that she
intended to run for the job had never been concealed.
It prepares Rose, a Trump supporter, for a
Republican primary contest in August 2026. They will be vying to succeed
Republican Governor Bill Lee, who is nearing the end of his two consecutive
four-year term limit.
In 2018, Blackburn defeated Democrat Phil Bredesen, a well-liked former governor, by almost
11 percentage points to win her Senate seat. Compared to earlier Republican
senators who served the state, the triumph indicated a tilt to the right. Last
November, she defeated Democratic state representative Gloria Johnson by over
29 percentage points to win reelection.
Blackburn, who was a member of the tea party
movement and frequently featured on Fox News, was first elected to the U.S.
House in 2002. Prior to that, the Brentwood native gained notoriety as a state
senator who spearheaded the uprising against a planned income tax in Tennessee
in the early 2000s.
Blackburn praised Trump, pledged to lead in
energy production and job creation, and tapped into current conservative themes
in an opening campaign ad. These included empowering parents in education,
defining “boys and girls the way God made them,” and deporting
illegal immigrants “whether it takes planes, trains, or starships.”
“In his first six months, President Trump has
made historic strides in Making America Great Again, but as he sends power back
to the states, he’s going to need strong conservative governors who can bring
that revolution home,”
Blackburn said in an announcement news release.
“I’m running to serve as Tennessee’s next governor to ensure Tennessee is
America’s conservative leader.”
In a state that Trump has swept in the last
three presidential elections, Rose, who declared his intention to run for
governor in March, has also expressed strong support for Trump. Lee defeated a
Democrat by 32 percentage points in 2022, while Trump carried Tennessee by over
30 points in 2024. The Republican primary will be fiercely competitive for the
president’s support.
Some well-known Republicans who would have
otherwise ran for governor were deterred by Blackburn’s earlier remarks that he
was considering a run.
Through June, Rose, a farmer and businessman
from Cookeville who has access to personal riches, received $1.1 million from
donors and contributed $5 million to his campaign.
What are Blackburn’s key differences from Rose
in the primary race?
Blackburn is a sitting U.S. Senator with a long
congressional career dating back to 2002, former state legislator, and
high-profile conservative figure nationally. Rose is a businessman and farmer
with experience as a U.S. Representative but with less statewide political
prominence than Blackburn. Rose positions himself more as an outsider and a
CEO-type leader.
Blackburn emphasizes her Washington experience
and leadership, pitching herself as a seasoned conservative ready to make
Tennessee “America’s conservative leader,” focusing on job creation,
energy production, education empowerment of parents, and strict immigration
enforcement with strong Trump alignment.
Rose emphasizes his business background and
outsider status, focusing on executive leadership skills and promising a
different style of governance.
