Marsha Blackburn Outlines Priorities as First Female Tennessee Governor

Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn won the Tennessee gubernatorial election by 2.5 percentage points, becoming the first woman elected to the office. During a joint press conference with outgoing Governor Bill Lee at the Old Supreme Court Chambers in Nashville, Blackburn identified reducing the cost of living as her primary goal for the January general session.

Blackburn proposed implementing property tax caps for seniors and tax abatements for first-time homebuyers, noting that voters recently passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting state property taxes. To address infrastructure and road congestion without borrowing, she announced a government efficiency effort modeled after federal waste-cutting initiatives, which she referred to as a Tennessee DOGE. This program may include a 5 percent annual across-the-board budget cut to eliminate waste.

Other priorities for the 2027 legislative session include expanding school choice and education vouchers, improving healthcare access, and addressing public safety in Memphis through the Memphis Safe Task Force. Blackburn also suggested using unused government land for workforce housing via public-private partnerships.

Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter will lead the transition process before Blackburn is sworn in on January 16, 2027. When questioned about her current U.S. Senate seat, Blackburn declined to name a successor, stating the conversation would happen at a later date.