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Tennessee voters are heading to the polls Thursday to choose their gubernatorial nominees, as well as candidates in newly redrawn congressional districts.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is running for governor, with two primary challengers: U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts. Five Democrats are vying for a place on the November ballot to take on the winner in the deep-red state.
After the Supreme Court decision earlier this year that narrowed portions of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee lawmakers hastily redrew their congressional districts to dissolve a majority-Black district in the Memphis area and make all nine districts favor Republicans.
Here are the races to watch:
Tennessee governor’s race
Blackburn, first elected to the Senate in 2018, announced last year that she would be running for governor with a video filled with images of her with President Trump as she declared, “Trump is back, America is blessed and Tennessee better than ever.”
Rose, who currently represents the 6th District, was already in the race. Fritts joined the race in September 2025.
Although Mr. Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the race, all three have stressed MAGA bona fides as they seek the governor’s mansion in a state that Mr. Trump won by almost 30 points in 2024. Rose has attacked Blackburn for voting to certify the president’s 2020 election loss, while Blackburn has vowed to support Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown “100%.”
Fritts, who remains more of a fringe candidate, last week vowed to ban non-Christian religions, insisting that the First Amendment only applies to Congress.
Blackburn declined in July to participate in any debates, and Rose backed out when it was set to be only him and Fritts on stage.
Republican Bill Lee, the current governor, is prevented from running again due to term limits. If Blackburn wins on Thursday and is elected in November, she would be the first woman to serve as governor of Tennessee.
There are five Democrats vying to be on the ballot in November: Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, activist Carnita Atwater, farmer Tim Cyr, musician Adam “Ditch” Kurtz and pastor Kevin Lee McCants.
Tennessee’s last Democratic governor, Phil Bredesen, left office in 2011.
Tennessee House races
In the drastically redrawn 5th District, Rep. Andy Ogles, a close ally of Mr. Trump, is facing a primary challenger, state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher. Hatcher has been endorsed by Lee, as well as former Gov. Bill Haslam. Mr. Trump has backed Ogles, even holding a tele-rally for him in July.
The Cook Political Report rates the district as “Solid R,” but the Democrats’ campaign arm has insisted the district could be in play.
Ogles has been criticized for social media posts saying Muslims “don’t belong in American society” and that homosexuality “has no place in America.”
There are five Democrats running to take on the winner of the GOP primary, with the Democrats’ campaign arm backing Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia.
And in another district, Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who has represented the Memphis area since 2007, opted not to run for reelection after his district boundaries were changed to be more friendly to Republicans.
The district is now considered “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report. Four Republicans are running for the GOP nomination and four Democrats are seeking the Democratic nomination.