Tennessee elects Blackburn first female governor

By KATE COIL

TT&C Assistant Editor

Tennessee has its first female governor after Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated Democratic Memphis Councilwoman Jeri Green and 13 independent challengers for the gubernatorial seat previously held by term-limited Gov. Bill Lee.  

“Thank you, Tennessee!” Blackburn said in a statement. “I am honored and humbled to be elected the next Governor of the great state of Tennessee. This victory belongs to the people who make Tennessee great—the families who work hard, the parents who sacrifice, the farmers who feed us, and the volunteers who never give up. We built a movement of people who believe Tennessee’s best days are ahead. Tennessee can and should be THE state of opportunity. My promise is simple: Tennessee will be a state where hard work pays off, families can put down roots, and everyone has the opportunity to build a better future.” 

In addition to being the first female governor, Blackburn also became the first female U.S. Senator from Tennessee when she was elected in 2018.  

Blackburn led the vote total with 957,136 followed by Green with 902,953, David Hatley with 195,564, and Lauren Pinkston with 26,200. The remaining Independent candidates all earned less than 5,000 votes.  

Eight seats in the Tennessee State Senate were contested. While no newcomers were elected in the Senate, former State Sen. Jimmy Matlock will return to the body after winning the seat vacated by the retirement of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.  

Several State Senate races were decided in the August primary as candidates faced no opposition in November. These races included Republican J. Adam Lowe in District 1, Republican Rusty Crowe in District 3, Republican Steve Southerland in District 9, Republican Paul Bailey in District 15, Democrat Charlane Oliver in District 19, Democrat Jeff Yarbro in District 21, Republican Ed Jackson in District 25, Democrat Raumesh Akbari in District 29, and Democrat London Lamar in District 33. 

There were 68 contested seats for election to the Tennessee State House, 20 of which will be filled by freshman lawmakers. New candidates were elected in Districts 1, 2, 8, 11, 13, 31, 32, 34, 36, 45, 49, 59, 75, 78, 80, 81, 93, 96, and 97. Of these new candidates, six were Democratic challengers who unseated Republican incumbents, including the Districts 13, 18, 49, 34, 75, and 97 races.  

In District 93, five write-in candidates qualified to be on the ballot and (). Late incumbent G.A. Hardaway died in April having failed to get the required number of signatures needed by the deadline to qualify for his seat. His son, T.J. Hardaway, was appointed to fill the position in the interim, first announcing his run for the seat as a Democrat then as an Independent write-in candidate, and finally withdrawing from the race. Hardaway then endorsed Kyler Gilkey for the seat, who was then deemed ineligible  

After neither of two Democratic candidates in the primary election were able to get the 1,500 votes needed to be placed on the ballot in April, no candidate appeared on the November ballot. However, five write-in candidates did qualify for the seat as independents. 

A total of 31 of the 99 races for Tennessee House of Representatives were decided in the primary election. These included Republican Jessica Means in District 1, Republican Gary Stidham in District 2, Republican Renea Jones in District 4, Republican Gary W. Hicks Jr. in District 9, Republican Rick Eldridge in District 10, Republican Fred A. Atchley in District 12, Republican Lowell Russell in District 21, Republican Dan Howell in District 22, Republican Noah Smith in District 36, Republican Iris Rudder in District 39, Democrat Bo Mitchell in District 50, Democrat Aftyn Behn in District 51, Democrat Jason L. Powell in District 53, Democrat Vincent Dixie in District 54, Democrat Bob Freeman in District 56, Democrat Harold M. Love Jr. in District 58, Republican Kirk Haston in District 72, Republican Chris Todd in District 73, Republican Jay D. Reedy in District 74, Republican Tandy Darby in District 76, Republican Brett A. Giannini in District 81, Republican Chris Hurt in District 82, Democrat Joe Towns Jr. in District 84, Democrat Jesse Chism in District 85, Democrat Justin J. Pearson in District 86, Democrat Larry J. Miller in District 88, Democrat Gloria Johnson in District 90, Democrat Torrey C. Harris in District 91, Republican Kevin Vaughn in District 95, Democrat Telisa Franklin in District 96, and Democrat Antonio Parkinson in District 98.  

Also on the ballot were three constitutional amendments, all of which passed. The first amendment would allow judges to deny bail for crimes including capital murder, terrorism, second degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape and grave torture. The amendment received 1,330,845 votes for and 651,321 against.  

The second amendment would prohibit the Tennessee General Assembly from levying property taxes. Notably, the General Assembly repealed a property tax in 1949 and has not levied one since. The amendment received 1,334,067 votes for and 664,715 against.  

The third amendment would create new constitutional rights for victims such as receiving reasonable notice of all public criminal proceedings and to be present at all public criminal proceedings. The amendment received 1,526,306 votes for and 480,508 against.  

Governor

Tennessee State Senate

Tennessee State House 

*indicates incumbent candidate