Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has won Tennessee’s governor election, becoming the first woman ever elected governor of the state, after NBC News and Decision Desk HQ projected her victory on election night, November 3.
Blackburn, 74, will succeed fellow Republican Governor Bill Lee, who could not seek re-election because of term limits after eight years in office. She is Tennessee’s 51st governor and, having first been elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 as the state’s first woman senator, she now adds a second historic first to her career.
A closer race than expected
Unofficial results reported by the Tennessee Secretary of State put Blackburn at about 45.5 percent of the vote, ahead of Democratic nominee Jerri Green at about 42.9 percent, with fewer than 55,000 votes separating them at that stage of counting. Independent candidate David Hatley took about 9.3 percent, according to the same unofficial figures.
Green, a Memphis City Council member, conceded in Chattanooga just after 10:30 p.m. Central Time on election night. Hatley had conceded earlier in the evening at his event in Johnson City.
The margin matters for what it says about Tennessee politics. No Tennessee governor has won with less than 50 percent of the vote in at least the last century, and no Democrat has won a statewide race in Tennessee since 2008. Green nevertheless came closer than any Democratic candidate since then to winning the governor’s office, making this the closest governor’s race in the state in decades.
In her victory speech shortly after 10 p.m., Blackburn told supporters: “My promise is pretty simple: Tennessee is going to be a state where hard work pays off, where families can put down roots, and where everyone has the opportunity to build a better future.”
Who is Marsha Blackburn?
Blackburn has spent decades in Tennessee and national politics. Before entering Congress, she ran a promotion and event management firm, Marketing Strategies. She served in the Tennessee state Senate, then represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House for 16 years, before winning election to the Senate in 2018.
She won the Republican primary for governor this summer against U.S. Representative John Rose and state Representative Monty Fritts, taking 43.6 percent of the vote in a three-way contest. Her campaign leaned on her conservative record and her close alignment with President Donald Trump.
What happens next
Blackburn must resign from the U.S. Senate before she is sworn in as governor on January 16. Reporting on the race says she plans to stay in the Senate until taking the governorship so she can appoint her own successor in Washington, an unusual arrangement that will be closely watched in the coming weeks.
As governor, she will work with Tennessee’s Republican supermajority legislature. Her victory came on a night when Democrats made gains nationally — including winning back control of the U.S. House and, as projected, the Senate — which makes her win in a solidly Republican state stand out as a Republican hold in an otherwise difficult night for the party.
What is not yet final
These results remain projections and unofficial tallies, not certified results. Vote shares reported here — about 45.5 percent for Blackburn and about 42.9 percent for Green — may shift slightly as the remaining ballots are counted and the results are certified. No certified final total is claimed in this article.
Why it matters
Tennessee has never before elected a woman as governor, even though women have won both major parties’ nominations in this race — a guarantee, once the primaries were settled, that history would be made whoever won. Blackburn’s win also preserves Republican control of the governor’s office in a state where the party dominates state government, while the closeness of the race suggests Democrats are more competitive in Tennessee than recent statewide results had indicated.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Tennessee governor election?
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, projected by NBC News and Decision Desk HQ on November 3, 2026.
Who did she beat?
Democratic nominee Jerri Green, a Memphis City Council member, with independent David Hatley also on the ballot.
When does she take office?
She is due to be sworn in as governor on January 16, after resigning from the U.S. Senate.
Why is the result historic?
Blackburn is the first woman ever elected governor of Tennessee, and was previously the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the state.
Sources
USA Today: “Marsha Blackburn makes history as the first woman elected Tennessee governor” — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/04/tennessee-governor-election-results-winner-blackburn-green/92605383007/
The Tennessean: “Marsha Blackburn makes history as the first woman elected Tennessee governor” — https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/tennessee-governor-election-results-winner-blackburn-green/92520117007/
Knox News: “Sen. Marsha Blackburn elected the first woman governor of Tennessee” — https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/sen-marsha-blackburn-elected-first-woman-governor-of-tennessee/92567327007/
Washington Examiner: “Marsha Blackburn wins Tennessee gubernatorial race” — https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/4776151/marsha-blackburn-jeri-green-david-hatley-tennessee-gubernatorial-race/
Internal links: Democrats win back the U.S. House, Democrats projected to win Senate control, Amy Klobuchar’s historic Minnesota win.
