Pappert Predicts Difficult Path for Republicans Challenging Blackburn in Governor’s Race

by Kaitlin Housler | May 7, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South

With a new poll showing U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) continuing to dominate the Republican field in the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial primary, The Tennessee Star’s lead reporter Tom Pappert said Thursday that Blackburn has become so entrenched in Tennessee...

Blackburn Expands Substantial Lead in Upcoming GOP Primary for Governor, New Poll Shows

by Kaitlin Housler | May 7, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD

A new poll released by the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee shows U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) continuing to dominate the Republican field in the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial primary, expanding her already significant lead. The latest Beacon Poll...

Incentives for TV Drama ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Biggest Waste of Taxpayer Dollars in 2025, Pork Report Finds

by Kaitlin Housler | Feb 2, 2026 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South

The largest waste of Tennessee taxpayer dollars last year was the state’s $10 million in eligible tax incentives for the television show 9-1-1: Nashville, a new watchdog report shows. The findings come from the Beacon Center of Tennessee’s 2025 Pork Report,...

Beacon Poll: Marsha Blackburn Leads GOP Gubernatorial Field with Commanding 47-Point Lead

by Kaitlin Housler | Feb 2, 2026 | News, Politics, Tennessee, The South

A poll released Monday by the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee shows U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) with a commanding lead in the 2026 gubernatorial Republican primary. The poll, which surveyed 1,200 registered voters in Tennessee from January 11-18,...

Beacon Center Report Finds Tennessee High School Graduates Unprepared for Workforce, Calls for Diploma Pathway Reforms

by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | Education, News, Tennessee, The South

A new report from the Beacon Center of Tennessee warned that the state’s K-12 education system is failing to prepare many students for today’s workforce, despite record-high graduation rates and significant investments in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The...

Beacon Poll: Tennesseans Overwhelmingly Support Governor’s Universal School Choice Proposal

by Kaitlin Housler | Jan 6, 2025 | News, Policy, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD

The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee published results of a poll it conducted on Monday revealing how registered Tennessee voters feel about a number of legislative issues at both the state and federal levels. The right-of-center think tank polled 1,200...