Blackburn Weighs Senate Pick After Governor Win
Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee's governor race and is expected to leave the U.S. Senate in January, leaving the governor to appoint a replacement.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in People
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Marsha Blackburn won the Tennessee governor's race on November 3 and is expected to leave the U.S. Senate when she takes office in January. Tennessee's governor can appoint someone to fill the vacancy until voters elect a successor in 2028.
Why it matters
The appointment will determine who represents Tennessee in the Senate before the next scheduled election. Former Knox County Mayor and WWE Hall of Famer Glenn Jacobs has said he would consider the appointment very seriously, though he has not been announced as the choice.
Tennessee's governor election took place November 3, and the next scheduled U.S. Senate election for the seat is in 2028. The appointment timing depends on Blackburn's January swearing-in, and no appointee has been announced.
The players
Marsha Blackburn
Blackburn is a Tennessee Republican senator who won the state's 2026 governor race and will vacate her Senate seat.
Glenn Jacobs
Jacobs is a former Knox County mayor and WWE Hall of Famer known as Kane, who served as Blackburn's governor campaign treasurer and is a possible Senate appointee.
The details
Glenn Jacobs, who served as campaign treasurer for Blackburn's governor campaign, said on the Fox News Rundown podcast on Oct. 7 that he would consider a Senate appointment very seriously. Blackburn has declined to say whom she might appoint.
Timeline
Oct. 7: Jacobs discussed a possible Senate appointment on the Fox News Rundown podcast.
Nov. 3: Blackburn won the Tennessee governor's race.
January: Blackburn is expected to leave the Senate when she takes office as governor.
2028: The next Tennessee Senate election is scheduled.
Market Landscape
Tennessee's governor holds the power to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy until voters choose a successor in the next scheduled election, which is set for 2028 in this case. Blackburn's move from the Senate to the governor's office follows that state-level appointment mechanism.
Tennesseans will not elect a new senator until 2028, so the governor's appointment will determine who represents the state in the interim. The choice affects Senate votes and the state's congressional voice during that period.
The takeaway
The Senate appointment is a practical reminder that state governors can shape federal representation between elections. Readers can track the announcement when Blackburn names her pick.
What happens next
Blackburn is expected to take office as governor in January, when the Senate vacancy will be filled by the governor's appointment.
Further reading
For more on the leaders shaping this race, see People coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WZTV.
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