Tennessee Sen. Blackburn wins Republican primary for governor, defeating fellow Trump ally

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August 6, 2026 6:08 AM EDT

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) attends a press conference in favor of the proposed "SAVE America Act", which would require proof of U.S. citizenship in registering to vote and a photo ID for casting ballots, at the U.S. Capitol in Washin

By David Morgan and ‌Daniel Trotta

WASHINGTON, Aug ​6 (Reuters) - ​U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn won Tennessee's Republican primary election for governor, U.S. media projected on Thursday, making her the heavy favorite ‌in the November general election.

In a battle between two of President ⁠Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress, Blackburn, 74, defeated U.S. Representative John Rose, 61. They ‌ran to replace two-term Republican ‌Governor Bill Lee, who is leaving office because of term limits.

Memphis City Councilor Jerri Green won the Democratic nomination, U.S. media projected.

The governor's ​office in Tennessee, a state Trump won by nearly 30 percentage points in 2024, is widely expected to remain in Republican hands.

Blackburn, who spent ⁠16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before entering the Senate in 2019, led Rose by ​comfortable double-digit margins for much of the race, according to opinion polls.

The Tennessee primary election also featured the first ​U.S. House contest since the Republican-controlled state redrew ‌its congressional map to dismantle a majority-Black Memphis district, currently represented by Democrat Steve Cohen.

He chose not to seek ⁠reelection to the seat, which independent political analysts now rate as safe Republican.

State Representative Justin Pearson, who was backed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and more than a ⁠dozen other progressives in Congress, secured the Democratic nomination for the district on Thursday, ​U.S. media projected.

Pearson drew national attention in 2023 when he and fellow Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones were expelled from the Tennessee House by the Republican majority after participating ‌in a gun-control protest on the House floor following a school shooting in Nashville. Both were quickly reinstated by ‌local officials.

Pearson will be opposed by Republican State Senator Brent Taylor, who was ⁠endorsed by Trump and prevailed in ‌a field of four ​candidates, U.S. media projected.

(Reporting by David Morgan in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Vista, California; Editing by Edmund Klamann and ‌Edwina Gibbs)


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