Misam Abidi(I)
Campaign website
Abidi is an independent candidate. His campaign biography says he moved to the United States from abroad in 1997 and has worked across several industries, including banking, entrepreneurship and cryptocurrency. (Misam Abidi campaign)
In their own words
- Technology economy: He proposes developing Tennessee’s economy around blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and technology innovation. Misam Abidi campaign
- Health insurance: He proposes a state reinsurance structure to help stabilize the health-insurance market and lower premiums. Misam Abidi campaign
- Due process: He supports stronger due-process protections, including access to fair legal defense and transparency in enforcement actions. Misam Abidi campaign
Marsha Blackburn(Rep)
Campaign website
Blackburn is a U.S. senator from Tennessee and the Republican nominee for governor. Before entering the U.S. Senate in 2019, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019 and in the Tennessee Senate from 1998 to 2002. (Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, Marsha Blackburn campaign)
Jerri Green(Dem)
Campaign website
Green is a Memphis City Council member and chief public defender, and is the Democratic nominee for governor. Her campaign biography also describes her as a mother of three. (Nashville Banner candidate profile, Nashville Banner campaign coverage)
In their own words
- Public education: She supports fully funding K–12 public schools, raising teacher pay and investing in pre-K and rural schools. Jerri Green campaign
- Health care: She supports expanding Medicaid to cover more working families and help keep rural hospitals open. Jerri Green campaign
- Housing: Her housing proposal would use $10 million in TANF funding to waive security deposits and support affordable housing for Tennessee families. Jerri Green campaign
David Hatley(I)
Campaign website
Hatley is an independent candidate and businessman from East Tennessee. His campaign says he was born and raised in Elizabethton and has built businesses and created jobs in Tennessee. (David Hatley campaign press page)
In their own words
- Manufacturing jobs: He proposes expanding manufacturing in Tennessee, keeping jobs in-state and recruiting industry that offers living wages and lasting careers. David Hatley campaign
- Workforce training: He supports investment in trade programs, technical education and apprenticeships as routes into the workforce that do not require a four-year degree. David Hatley campaign
- School vouchers: In an interview, Hatley said he would freeze the current school voucher program while evaluating its effectiveness. Tennessee Bar Association
Wendell Jackson(I)
Campaign website
Jackson is an independent candidate from Clarksville. Candidate information describes him as a comedian and spoken-word performer. (WSMV candidate guide, Go Vote Rutherford candidate profile)
Eddie Lee Murphy(I)
Murphy is listed as an independent candidate for Tennessee governor and lives in Spring Hill. He ran in the 2025 special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District; no campaign website or stated policy positions were located in the sources reviewed. (Tennessee Firefly, WSMV)
Lauren Pinkston(I)
Campaign website
Pinkston is a seventh-generation Tennessean who grew up in Stantonville and lives in Columbia. A former elementary-school teacher, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Freed-Hardeman University and a doctorate in International Family and Community Studies from Clemson University; her work has included international community development and anti-human-trafficking efforts. (Lebanon Democrat, Pinkston for Tennessee — About)
In their own words
- Taxes and education: She supports eliminating the state grocery tax and capping annual city property-tax revenue increases. She also supports ending the 2025 school-voucher program and redirecting its funding toward early-childhood education. Lauren Pinkston for Tennessee — Issues
- Data centers: She supports a statewide pause on new data-center construction until Tennessee establishes siting rules addressing water use, proximity to schools and public institutions, and community input. Lauren Pinkston for Tennessee — Issues
- Election rules: She supports open primaries and an independent commission to draw legislative district maps. Lauren Pinkston for Tennessee — Issues
Victor L. Scoggin(I)
Scoggin is listed as an independent candidate for governor and lives in Pegram. His platform has 44 points, according to Tennessee Firefly; a fuller biographical background was not located in the sources reviewed. (Tennessee Firefly)
In their own words
- Education: His published platform includes calls for an equal number of conservative and liberal educators in state-funded schools and colleges, and for religion in public schools and government buildings. Tennessee Firefly
- Public safety: His platform emphasizes law-enforcement funding and responses to violent crime and criminal justice. Tennessee Firefly
- Community issues: His listed platform topics also include homelessness and mental health, property taxes, and immigration enforcement. Tennessee Firefly
Dave Seeman(I)
Campaign website
Seeman is a Nashville resident and lifelong Tennessean. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, worked as an engineer and product designer, and co-owns a Nashville product-development business. (Dave Seeman for Governor — FAQ, Vote Rutherford — Dave Seeman candidate profile)
In their own words
- Agriculture: His campaign proposes helping farmers through tax relief, local food hubs and storage, right-to-repair, and mental-health and peer support. Dave Seeman for Governor
- Clean energy: He supports developing state-owned renewable power, clean industrial generation, residential solar, and statewide clean-energy financing. Dave Seeman for Governor
- Education: His education proposals include repealing the Education Freedom Scholarship program and redirecting its funding to public schools, alongside class-size limits and added student-support staff. Tennessee Firefly
Karl Knox Smithson(I)
Smithson is listed as an independent candidate for governor and a resident of McMinnville. A local candidate guide describes him as a homeless-community activist; no campaign website or published platform was located in the sources reviewed. (Tennessee Firefly, WSMV)
L. Webb Taylor(I)
Taylor is listed as a corporate health and wellness consultant and lives in Memphis. No further sourced background or public issue positions were found. (Tennessee Firefly, Politics1)
Charles Van Morgan(I)
Van Morgan is a Knoxville business owner and former police officer and Tennessee state trooper. His education includes degrees from Tennessee Wesleyan College and the University of Tennessee, and a law degree from Nashville School of Law. (WSMV, Tennessee Firefly)
Robert C. Vick(I)
Campaign website
Vick is a career educator and lifelong resident of Jefferson County, where he was born and raised. He says he has completed 40 years in public education, serving as a teacher, coach, and administrator. (GoVote Rutherford candidate profile, Dr. Vick for Tennessee)
In their own words
- Health and education: Vick says his campaign's three core priorities are improving mental-health resources, addressing homelessness and poverty, and strengthening education. GoVote Rutherford candidate profile
- Education and budget: He supports community-based mental-health systems, resource allocation to empower teachers and improve student outcomes, and responsible state budgeting. Dr. Vick for Tennessee
- Rural education: His Rural Readiness initiative would align high-school curricula with local industry needs to create pathways to higher-paying work in rural counties. Tennessee Firefly