Blackburn wins GOP primary for TN governor

Blackburn is Tennessee's first female Republican gubernatorial candidate. She will face Democratic nominee Jerri Green and independent candidates in the general election on Nov. 3.

It's the first time in state history that two women have faced each other in a gubernatorial general election. Whoever wins will become Tennessee's first female governor. At 74, Blackburn would also be the oldest person Tennessee ever elected to that role.

Blackburn declared victory in a post on X around 8:30 p.m. on election night. The crowd chanted "Marsha Marsha Marsha" as Blackburn walked on stage in Knoxville while "My Tennessee Mountain Home" by Dolly Parton played on the speakers.

“I am so honored, humbled, grateful to accept your Republican nomination for the office of governor.
This night really does belong to the people of our great state,” she said, surrounded by family.

Cheers came from the crowd of prominent Republicans from East Tennessee, including elected officials, cabinet members and donor Jim Haslam.

"One year ago, we set out on this journey with one goal: to make Tennessee America's conservative leader and show the nation what strong, bold, conservative leadership looks like," Blackburn said. "Tonight, I am humbled and honored that you've chosen me as your Republican nominee for governor."

Blackburn pledged to make Tennessee "the freest in the United States" and "make certain that our Tennessee remains the envy of the nation."

"Rocky Top" played as she exited to more cheers.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Blackburn's campaign treasurer, was at the gathering, as were U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. Burchett said Blackburn will be “one of the finest governors this state's ever had, if not the finest.”

“I couldn't be happier than we're going to have the first female governor in the state of Tennessee's history,” Burchett told the crowd.

Unofficial results provided by the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office.

Democratic candidate Memphis City Council member Jerri Green ran out to an early lead shortly after polling places closed and never lost it.

Green stepped out to a crowd of about 50 with the chorus of DJ Khaled's “All I Do Is Win” blasting through the lobby of the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education in Memphis.

"We showed up where politicians have stopped showing up,” she said.

Green spoke about campaigning across the state and listening to every day Tennesseans, meeting them where they were and understanding what they were going through.

“Your governor will see you and fight for you every day,” she said.

Green is the first female Democratic nominee for Tennessee governor. In a statement on social media, Green thanked supporters and asked them to help her "make history again" in November.

Rose concedes: 'Tennessee's best days are ahead'

Earlier in the night as the polls closed, Rose supporters began to flood into the Leslie Town Centre in rain-soaked Cookeville. Rose's campaign slogan "Tennessee True" showed on screens as a live band played country music.

Rose took the stage just after 8:45 p.m. with his wife, Chelsea, and sons Guy and Sam and thanked supporters, as "Dixieland Delight" played on the loudspeakers.

“Today, just like every day, I’m grateful to be a Tennessean. Aren’t you?” he said to the smiling crowd. “I want to begin by congratulating Marsha Blackburn for winning this primary.”

Rose said he called Blackburn to congratulate her and to pledge to support her in November.

“It’s been a long road to this night, and the journey isn’t over,” he said. “We have a general election next. And even though things didn’t go our way tonight, I hope you’ll join me in supporting our Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee.”

He also congratulated rival Monty Fritts for “the efforts that he put into this campaign for the good of Tennessee.”

“Tonight will be on my mind for a long time to come. It won’t be due to the things I’ve lost, but I’ll be thinking about the things that I’ve gained,” Rose said, saying he’ll remember the people who opened homes, businesses, churches and communities to his family.

Rose thanked his staff, parents and all his supporters.

“Life isn’t defined by how many times you get knocked down. It’s defined by how many times you get back up,” he said. “I believe we are blessed to live in the greatest state in the greatest nation in the history of the world. … I believe Tennessee’s best days are ahead of us.”

Blackburn's path to victory

Blackburn, an eight-term congresswoman-turned two-term U.S. senator, is a Republican political juggernaut, with an entrenched fundraising machine and statewide grassroots outreach. She held a commanding 58–point lead over Rose even before launching her bid for governor and quickly became an early favorite among establishment Republicans statewide.

Blackburn's unconventional campaign largely remained aloof from the general public. Instead, Blackburn focused her efforts on closed-door and invite-only events and Republican party functions. She declined to debate her opponents despite many calls for her to do so. She held no public town halls and engaged very little with reporters outside conservative media circles.

Blackburn said she is running to lead Tennessee "through a reset" and make it “America’s conservative leader for this generation and the next." She promised to "take a big red marker" to make cuts to the state budget, and pledged to "fight tooth and nail" against a statewide property tax — something Tennessee has not had since the 1940s. Many of the policies Blackburn outlined during her campaign are already state law.

Blackburn centered her campaign around issues such as "cracking down" on China, hunting down communists, deporting “criminal illegal aliens” and expanding an existing state law to ban cell phone use in schools from "bell to bell."

Blackburn's campaign hit some turbulence when she refused to answer policy questions put to her by NewsChannel 5 reporter Ben Hall as she waited for an elevator. During the awkward wait, Blackburn repeatedly said she was "talking to Tennesseans every single day" in response to every question from Hall. Rose's team quickly turned the moment into a campaign ad.

Then came reports that a U.S. Senate ethics investigation found Blackburn's office violated Senate ethics rules by using government resources to bolster her 2024 Senate reelection bid. Rose repeatedly called on Blackburn to release documents related to the probe. She never did.

Rose self-loaned his campaign $9 million. Blackburn raised $8.3 million in donations, more than 70% of which came from outside Tennessee. She also benefited from more than $2.5 million in PAC spending and grassroots canvassing efforts by Americans for Prosperity's state PAC.

Rose got started started early and had a much longer road to building statewide name recognition. Rose focused on practical issues like fixing Tennessee's roads, prioritizing families in state spending and making health care more accessible. He spent 18 months pounding the pavement across the state, engaging with voters and holding more than four dozen town halls — and he was able to narrow the gap.

Polling showed Rose consistently gaining on Blackburn. By election week, one poll showed Rose within as little as 3.5 percentage points of Blackburn. Internal polling from the Blackburn campaign showed him behind by 17 points.

Blackburn will be the distinct favorite in the general election: No Democrat has won statewide election in Tennessee since 2006.

A Republican win in November would mark the first time Republicans have held the governor’s office for three administrations in a row. Until Gov. Bill Lee succeeded Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee’s governors flip-flopped between parties for much of the last seven decades.