Three Tennessee Governor Candidates Debate as Blackburn Skips Forum

Democratic nominee Jerri Green and independent candidates David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston participated in a nonpartisan gubernatorial forum on October 28 in Murfreesboro. The event, the only statewide forum of its kind before the November 3 election, saw the three candidates reach a consensus on eliminating the state grocery tax, opposing the expansion of private school vouchers, and implementing a moratorium on data center development.

Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn declined to attend the forum, opting instead to host a campaign rally in Hendersonville. Blackburn defended her absence by citing her campaign's direct outreach, claiming her team had conducted tens of thousands of phone calls and knocked on a million doors to meet voters.

Policy disagreements emerged during the debate over healthcare and public safety. Green supports federal Medicaid expansion and ending the Memphis Safe Task Force, while Hatley supports the task force and wants a state auditor to review spending before considering Medicaid expansion. On housing, Hatley proposed capping corporate home purchases, while Pinkston advocated for expanding land trusts. The candidates also addressed the death penalty following a failed lethal injection of Christa Pike; Green called for a moratorium on executions, while Hatley and Pinkston sought an investigation into lethal injection procedures.