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August 6, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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Tennessee voters are heading to the polls Thursday to choose their gubernatorial nominees, as well as candidates in newly redrawn congressional districts. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is running for governor, with two primary challengers: U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts. Five Democrats are vying for a place on the November ballot to take on the winner in the deep-red state.After the Supreme Court decision earlier this year that narrowed portions of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee lawmakers hastily redrew their congressional districts to dissolve a majority-Black district in the Memphis area and make all nine districts favor Republicans.Here are the races to watch: Tennessee governor's raceBlackburn, first elected to the Senate in 2018, announced last year that she would be running for governor with a video filled with images of her with President Trump as she declared, "Trump is back, America is blessed and Tennessee better than ever."Rose, who currently represents the 6th District, was already in the race. Fritts joined the race in September 2025. Although Mr. Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the race, all three have stressed MAGA bona fides as they seek the governor's mansion in a state that Mr. Trump won by almost 30 points in 2024. Rose has attacked Blackburn for voting to certify the president's 2020 election loss, while Blackburn has vowed to support Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown "100%."
