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Tennessee

Blackburn Wins Tennessee Governor Race

Republican Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Jerri Green to become the first woman elected governor of Tennessee.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections

Wide photograph of the Tennessee State Capitol's limestone dome and portico above a bare lawn under soft overcast daylight.
Republican Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Jerri Green on November 3, 2026, becoming the first woman elected governor of Tennessee, while Green conceded on election night. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee's governor's race on November 3, 2026, defeating Democrat Jerri Green. Her campaign declared victory early, and state election officials later confirmed the result.

Why it matters

Blackburn's win makes her the first woman to serve as Tennessee's governor and will open her current U.S. Senate seat for an appointed replacement. The race also renewed attention to her past clash with Taylor Swift over Blackburn's 2018 Senate campaign.

Unofficial results show Blackburn at 45.52 percent and Green at 42.95 percent, with independent David Hatley drawing a substantial share of the vote. The figures remain unofficial, and certified totals were not available in the source data.

The players

Marsha Blackburn

A Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee who previously served in the U.S. House and as a state senator, and who is known for her conservative positions on social media regulation and child online safety.

Taylor Swift

A globally prominent singer-songwriter who publicly opposed Blackburn's 2018 Senate campaign and endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen.

Jerri Green

A Democratic candidate for Tennessee governor from Memphis who conceded the 2026 race to Blackburn on election night.

The details

Blackburn defeated Green on November 3, 2026, and Green conceded on election night. Blackburn's win followed a campaign in which her past conflict with Taylor Swift, including Swift's 2018 Instagram criticism and a 2020 documentary remark calling Blackburn 'Trump in a wig,' drew renewed coverage.

Timeline

  1. October 7, 2018: Swift publicly opposed Blackburn's Senate campaign on Instagram.

  2. 2020: The Netflix documentary Miss Americana aired Swift's remarks about Blackburn.

  3. November 3, 2026: Tennessee voters elected Blackburn governor.

  4. January 2027: Blackburn is expected to take office.

Political Context

Swift's 2018 Instagram endorsement of Phil Bredesen against Blackburn in the Tennessee Senate race set the terms of a rivalry that resurfaced when Blackburn won the 2026 governor's race. Blackburn's 2013 vote against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, which PolitiFact rated Mostly True in Swift's framing, remains a central point of that dispute.

Blackburn's move from the Senate to the governor's office means Tennesseans will have a new state executive in January 2027 and a Senate vacancy filled by appointment rather than a direct vote. The change affects who sets state policy and who represents the state in Washington.

The takeaway

Readers following Tennessee politics should watch for certified results and the appointment of Blackburn's Senate successor, since both will shape the state's representation in the coming year.

What happens next

Blackburn is expected to take office in January 2027, and an interim replacement will be appointed to her U.S. Senate seat after she becomes governor.

Further reading

For more on how state races are decided, see Elections coverage across Tennessee.

Source note: This article includes information reported by International Business Times UK.

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