Senator Marsha Blackburn won the Republican nomination for Tennessee governor Thursday, defeating Congressman John Rose 43.8 to 32.7 percent in a three-way primary, setting up a November general election she is heavily favored to win.
If she does, she will become the first woman to serve as Tennessee's governor. She is already the first woman ever to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.
The race unfolded in a notably Trump-free zone. Trump declined to endorse in the governor's race despite close relationships with both Blackburn and Rose, telling Tennessee's congressional delegation on Air Force One that his friendship with Rose prevented him from endorsing Blackburn, while also having praised her publicly and saying he wished she were staying in the Senate.
Without a presidential thumb on the scale, Blackburn's statewide name recognition from six years in the Senate and 16 years in the House carried her to victory.
She told supporters in Knoxville, where Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs announced her win to a packed crowd chanting "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha," that she is already talking in terms of certainty: "When I'm governor."
The general election opponent is Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis City Councilmember and former public defender. A Democrat has not won a Tennessee statewide office since 2006.
Blackburn is 74 years old. Her Senate seat, won in 2024 and running until 2031, will be filled by her own appointment if she wins the governorship.