Coverage spread: 2 sources — 1 left · 1 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Sen. Marsha Blackburn is the front-runner in the Republican gubernatorial primary against Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts.
- President Trump has not endorsed any candidate in the Tennessee governor’s primary despite endorsing in other states, though he has praised both Blackburn and Rose.
- Five Democrats, including Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, are competing for their party’s gubernatorial nomination to face the GOP winner in November.
- Tennessee is a heavily Republican state where Democrats haven’t won a governor’s race in about two decades and last won a Senate race with Al Gore 36 years ago.
Where they differ
- Fox News centers its account on Blackburn’s national profile and her Senate commentary on Iran and Israel-related issues, giving less space to primary logistics.
- CBS News covers the debate cancellations by Blackburn and Rose, details Fritts’ comment about banning non-Christian religions, and Fox does not mention this.
- CBS News reports extensively on the redrawn congressional districts following the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling and the Ogles-Hatcher primary fight in the 5th District, topics absent from Fox’s account.
- Fox emphasizes Blackburn’s vocal support for Trump’s agenda and criticism of a Michigan Senate candidate, details not mentioned in CBS’s more procedural report.
Tennessee Republicans voted Thursday in a primary to pick a nominee for governor, with Sen. Marsha Blackburn considered the front-runner over Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts. The winner will face one of five Democratic candidates in November to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bill Lee in a state Republicans have controlled for two decades.
Who is running for governor?
On the Republican side, Sen. Marsha Blackburn — a two-term senator and former longtime congresswoman with a high national profile from frequent cable news appearances — is the favorite. She’s challenged by Rep. John Rose, a four-term congressman representing the 6th District, and state Rep. Monty Fritts, a lesser-known candidate. Blackburn announced her run last year with a campaign video built around images of her with President Trump, declaring “Trump is back, America is blessed and Tennessee better than ever.” If she wins the primary and the general election, she would become Tennessee’s first woman governor.
Five Democrats are competing for their party’s nomination: Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, activist Carnita Atwater, farmer Tim Cyr, musician Adam “Ditch” Kurtz and pastor Kevin Lee McCants. Tennessee hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since Phil Bredesen left office in 2011.
Where does Trump stand on the race?
Notably, President Trump has not endorsed anyone in this primary, even though he’s made endorsements in other 2026 gubernatorial contests. In January, Trump said he’d asked Blackburn not to run, telling her “we don’t want to lose you in the Senate,” but he’s also said she’d make a good governor and praised Rose’s loyalty to him. All three GOP candidates have leaned into their Trump support anyway — Blackburn posted a photo with the president on the eve of the primary and has vowed 100% backing for his immigration crackdown, while Rose has attacked her for voting to certify Trump’s 2020 election loss.
What else is happening on the ballot?
Beyond the governor’s race, Tennessee’s other senator, Republican Bill Hagerty, is running unopposed in his primary as he seeks a second term; five Democrats are competing to challenge him in November, a state Al Gore last won for Democrats 36 years ago. Voters are also choosing candidates in newly redrawn congressional districts. After a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year narrowed part of the Voting Rights Act’s Section 2, Tennessee lawmakers redrew congressional maps, dissolving a majority-Black district in the Memphis area so all nine districts now favor Republicans. In the reshaped 5th District, Trump-aligned Rep. Andy Ogles — who has drawn criticism for past social media posts about Muslims and gay people — faces a primary challenge from state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who has Trump-opponents’ backing from Gov. Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam, even as Trump himself has endorsed Ogles and held a tele-rally for him.
Did the candidates debate?
No traditional matchup took place. Blackburn declined in July to take part in any gubernatorial debates, and Rose pulled out of a scheduled debate once it became clear only he and Fritts would be on stage.
How the coverage differs
Fox News frames the race around Blackburn’s national conservative profile and Trump loyalty, spending more time on her Senate commentary about Iran and Israel-related issues than on the mechanics of the primary itself. CBS News gives more procedural detail — the debate cancellations, the specifics of the district redraw following the Voting Rights Act ruling, and fuller rundowns of the Democratic candidates and the Ogles-Hatcher primary fight in the 5th District. Fox also omits Fritts’ recent remark about banning non-Christian religions, which CBS reports, and does not mention the congressional redistricting fight or Ogles’ controversial statements at all.
Why this race matters
Tennessee is deep red — Trump carried it by nearly 30 points in 2024 — but the governor’s race still carries symbolic weight, since a Blackburn win would make her the state’s first female governor. The simultaneous congressional map fight, following the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling, has broader implications for minority representation, since it eliminated a Memphis-area district that had been majority-Black. Trump’s studied neutrality in the governor’s primary, despite endorsing in other states this cycle, has become its own storyline, underscoring tension between his personal preference to keep Blackburn in the Senate and his public praise for both her and Rose.
Sources
Featured photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)