David Hatley

Background

Hatley’s campaign says he grew up in Elizabethton and built nine companies, including manufacturing businesses in Tennessee. The Tennessean described him as an East Tennessee native and entrepreneur running as an independent for governor in 2026.

Sources: David Hatley campaign website, The Tennessean

What the candidate has said

Statements are attributed to the linked sources.

• Affordable housing

  Hatley proposes state infrastructure grants tied to affordable-home set-asides and faster permitting, and rolling back building-code changes he says increase housing costs. [web:fetch_url]

  David Hatley campaign website

• Data centers

  He proposes a pause on new data-center approvals until Tennessee adopts rules, ending tax abatements and directing at least half of new data-center tax revenue to property-tax reductions in the host county. [web:fetch_url]

  David Hatley campaign website

• Grocery tax

  He supports eliminating Tennessee’s state sales tax on groceries, saying the lost revenue should be covered by reducing waste in the state budget. [web:fetch_url]

  David Hatley campaign website