The three gubernatorial candidates that polls show have the best chance of making the November general election ballot turned their attention to one of Tennessee’s celebrated crops over the weekend.¶
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, sent staff to campaign at Portland’s Strawberry Festival, while Congressman John Rose, R-TN, attended the event personally. Memphis Councilwoman Jerri Green joined the crowd at the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival in Humboldt.¶
Festival appearances aside, the three have taken a notably different approach to the race in recent days.¶
New TV Ad¶
Rose released a new ad that began running on television last week. In the ad, he switches between a corporate and a farm setting while speaking alongside his wife, Chelsea Rose.¶
“We need a governor with CEO experience, someone like Trump,” Chelsea says in the ad.¶
“Well, there’s only one of those in this race,” Rose replies to her. “I’m John Rose, and I’m applying for the job.”¶
Redistricting Debate¶
Both Blackburn and Green have spent time in recent days weighing in on the General Assembly’s recent decision to redraw the state’s congressional districts.¶
Blackburn was among the first to call for redistricting, and in recent days, she’s shared supportive content on social media, including a video thanking lawmakers for their efforts.¶
“Big thank you to the Tennessee General Assembly, they got in session, they got the job done, they’ve delivered their redistricting map,” said Blackburn in the video. “We are going to make certain that Tennessee is America’s conservative leader.”¶
Green opposed redistricting and has posted repeatedly about it on her social media pages.That included a post on Monday highlighting the increased turnout from Democrats in last week’s state and county primary.¶
“DEMOCRATS ARE TURNING OUT IN BIG NUMBERS,” wrote Green on Facebook. “Republicans think they have November in the bag. The numbers don’t lie. Democrats are fighting back. Don’t let them take your power. If we keep fighting and give the August and November elections all we got—we’re gonna flip this state and shock the world.”¶
Recent Polling¶
A new poll released last week from the Beacon Center of Tennessee shows Green and Rose trailing Blackburn by wide margins.¶
Of the 529 likely Republican primary voters polled in April, 63 percent said they would vote for Blackburn if the Republican primary were held today, up from 56 percent in the Beacon’s January poll. Rose has seen his support in the poll rise slightly from 9 percent to 10 percent, while State Representative Monty Fritts, R-Kingston, has seen his support drop from 7 percent to 5 percent.¶
The number of undecided Republican primary voters has dropped from 28 percent to 22 percent in the poll.¶
The Beacon’s survey of registered voters also included the first polling of candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Green leads all candidates with 14 percent, but most likely Democratic primary voters, 62 percent, report they’re still undecided.¶
The Beacon Center also asked voters who they’d support if the November General Election were held today. 51 percent of voters said they’d vote for Blackburn, 27 percent said Green, and 22 percent said they were undecided.¶
