Blackburn, Green and Hatley Offer Competing Visions for Tennessee’s Future
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) – Tennessee voters are deciding who will become the state’s next governor, choosing between Republican Marsha Blackburn, Democrat Jerri Green, and independent candidate David Hatley.
The race is historic because either Blackburn or Green would become the first woman ever elected governor of Tennessee.
What the Candidates Say They’ll Do
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee’s U.S. senator and the Republican nominee, has campaigned on cutting taxes, reducing regulations, supporting economic growth and strengthening cooperation between state and federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Jerri Green, the Democratic nominee, has focused her campaign on affordability issues, including eliminating the state grocery tax, expanding child care access, increasing teacher pay and investing more funding into public education.
David Hatley, running as an independent, has advocated for greater government transparency, including creation of an elected auditor, while also emphasizing literacy, workforce development and a review of education voucher expansion.
What Projections Show
As of approximately 9:16 p.m. ET, election forecasts and polling averages indicate Blackburn remains the favorite in the race.
Prediction markets reviewed Tuesday evening gave Blackburn roughly a 93% chance of victory, compared to about 4% for Green and about 2% for Hatley. Recent polling averages also showed Blackburn holding a double-digit lead over Green heading into Election Day.
However, official election results continue to be counted, and final outcomes will be determined by certified vote totals.
Follow Election Results
Tennesseans can track the latest vote totals, county-by-county returns and race updates throughout the night by visiting https://elections.tn.gov/categories/governor/offices.
The governor’s race is among the most closely watched contests on Tennessee’s ballot and will determine the direction of state government for the next four years.
