U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) won the Tennessee gubernatorial election Tuesday, according to final unofficial election results published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
At 11:18 p.m. CST, with all 95 Tennessee counties reporting results, Blackburn had garnered 957,136 votes (45.52 percent) compared to Democratic nominee Jerri Green’s 902,953 votes (42.95 percent) and independent candidate David Hatley’s 195,564 votes (9.3 percent).
Blackburn’s victory marks the first time in Tennessee history that a woman will serve as governor.
Blackburn declared herself the victor of Tuesday’s race as she took the stage at her election night watch party just after 10:00 p.m.
Thank you, Tennessee! 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… pic.twitter.com/hmttk0hhdo
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) November 4, 2026
“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,” Blackburn said in a social media post upon concluding her victory speech.
The Republican Governors Association (RGA) congratulated Blackburn on the victory shortly before the race was officially called.
“Congratulations to Marsha Blackburn on her victory. Marsha Blackburn has never been afraid to stand up for Tennessee, and tonight, Tennesseans made clear they want her leading the Volunteer State,” RGA Chair Governor Greg Gianforte said in a statement released just after 10:30 p.m. “Blackburn knows what makes Tennessee special and will continue the legacy of strong conservative leaders committed to building a stronger future for hardworking families.”
During one of her final media appearances before Election Day, Blackburn told The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy that Tennesseans could count on her to defend their children, religious liberty, and freedoms while keeping taxes low.
“Tennesseans want somebody who’s going to fight to protect their kids and their religious liberty and protect their freedoms. They want somebody who’s going to fight to keep their taxes low, and I have a great record of doing those things, and Tennesseans know they can depend on me to deliver,” she said.
Throughout her campaign, Blackburn pledged to ensure Tennessee remains “America’s conservative leader.”
Among her proposals is establishing a “Tennessee DOGE” to root out wasteful spending, fraud, and inefficiencies in state government. She also called for more state employees to work in person and vowed to partner with lawmakers to rein in government expenditures.
Blackburn additionally backed changing Tennessee’s primary election rules to require voters to affiliate with a political party before participating in its primary, a move she said would prevent members of one party from influencing the other party’s candidate selection.
Her education agenda includes a “bell to bell, no cell” policy that would keep students off their phones for the entire school day, rather than just during instructional periods as required under current state law. She also indicated she would look at further limiting technology-related distractions in classrooms beyond student cell phone use.
In a July interview with The Star, Blackburn also discussed her education priorities, saying she wanted Tennessee to become the top state for providing children with a “world-class education.”
She emphasized that every child learns differently and should have access to the educational environment best suited to their needs. She pointed to the state’s school choice efforts while also calling for continued support of traditional public schools and public charter schools.
During that interview, Blackburn also outlined broader goals of attracting high-paying jobs, supporting local businesses, leading in research and innovation, and making Tennessee “the freest state in the country.”
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.
