U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty shakes up next year’s governor’s race by opting to run for re-election

Senator Bill Hagerty (Photo by Senator Hagerty)

For months discussion about Tennessee’s 2026 gubernatorial race has centered around whether one or both of the state’s U.S. Senators might jump in. 

Tuesday night Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, took his name out of the running by announcing he’s going to seek re-election to the U.S. Senate.  Hagerty won his Senate seat in 2020 and his six-year term is up January 2, 2027.

“Never in my lifetime could I have imagined that we’d find ourselves at the precipice of so many crises. The last administration delivered mayhem and chaos, not only here in America but around the world. Our southern border collapsed, over ten-million people invading our country. National security threats both here and abroad, they’re unlike any we’ve ever seen before. An economy that’s been devastated by inflation. Americans’ real wages have gone down,” said Hagerty in a video posted on X. “We have an opportunity to turn all of this around.” 

Tennessee’s other U.S. Senator, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, has not officially announced whether she intends to run for governor, but political insiders say she’s strongly considering it.

Perhaps the most visible sign came earlier this month when Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, himself a frequently mentioned possibility for the governor’s race, announced his support for a Blackburn gubernatorial run on social media last month and in an editorial in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

“Freedom begets opportunity; opportunity begets success. That’s why Tennessee leads the nation – because conservative values work,” wrote Jacobs. “No one understands that core principle better than Marsha Blackburn. She would be a conservative force as our governor. If she decides to run – and I hope she will – she will have my full and enthusiastic support.”

The former professional wrestler would be a leading contender to be appointed to Blackburn’s U.S. Senate Seat if she were to give it up for a gubernatorial run or leave office after winning the governor’s race. Blackburn’s term runs through January 3, 2031, and Tennessee’s governor would have the authority appoint a Senator to serve until the next general election.

Current Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is term-limited and not eligible to run for re-election.

Other potential Republican candidates political insiders say could be considering running for governor include Ole Smoky Distillery owner Joseph Baker, CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger, and U.S. Congressmen John Rose. The Tennessee Journal has reported that the 6 District Tennessee congressman recently told supporters he’s a “definite go” in the race.

On the other side of the aisle, no leading Democrats have announced their candidacy for governor. The party has struggled to field well-funded candidates for state races and hasn’t won one since former Governor Phil Bredesen won re-election in 2006.