2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election

The 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Lee is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term.

Candidates
Publicly expressed interest


 * John Rose, U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 6th congressional district (2019–present)

Potential

 * Glenn Jacobs, mayor of Knox County (2018–present)
 * Mark Green, U.S. Representative from TN's 7th congressional district (2019–present)
 * Cameron Sexton, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (2019–present)
 * Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State (2009–present)
 * Damon Hininger, CEO of CoreCivic
 * Joe Baker, attorney and co-founder of Yee-Haw Brewing Company and Ole Smoky Moonshine

Potential

 * Steve Cohen, U.S. Representative from TN's 9th congressional district (2007–present)
 * Raumesh Akbari, Minority Leader of the Tennessee State Senate (2023–present), State Senator from the 29th District (2019–present), and former State Representative (2013–2019)
 * London Lamar, State Senator from the 33rd District (2022–present) and former State Representative (2018–2022)
 * Justin Pearson, State Representative from the 86th District (February 2023–April 2023; April 2023–present)