Charles Van Morgan
Independent candidate
Charles Van Morgan is an independent candidate for governor on the general election ballot. Independent candidates qualify by petition rather than through a primary: 25 registered voters' signatures, filed with the Secretary of State by the March 10, 2026 deadline. Morgan filed on March 4, 2026 and lives in Knoxville.
Knoxville, Knox
No TREF disclosure on file at last refresh
Who they are
Politics1 lists Morgan's occupation as businessman and former police officer. Ballotpedia's profile says he was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, earned a bachelor's degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001, and a law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 2015, and that his career includes owning a logistics and transportation business and serving as a police officer and state trooper.
Source: Politics1; Ballotpedia
Why they are running
TNFirefly could not retrieve a statement from Morgan in his own words. WJHL published a “Meet the Candidates” segment on him, but the page could not be retrieved. The campaign web address associated with him does not resolve.
Where they stand on education
TNFirefly could not source any statement by Morgan on schools, vouchers, school funding, or teachers.
How they qualified
Independents do not run in a primary. They reach the general election ballot by petition, which in Tennessee means gathering 25 valid voter signatures and filing by the qualifying deadline of March 10, 2026. Charles Van Morgan filed from Knoxville on March 4, 2026, and the Secretary of State recorded the petition signatures as approved.
A WJHL candidate interview exists and is the most likely place his own words are on record. It returned an error when retrieved. This page will be updated if it becomes available.
Sources
- 1. Politics1, Tennessee 2026 Elections
- 2. Ballotpedia, Charles Morgan (Tennessee)
- 3. WJHL, Meet the Candidates: Charles Van Morgan for Tennessee governor
- 4. Tennessee Secretary of State, 2026 candidate lists (certified qualified candidates for governor)
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About this tracker
This tracker is produced by The Tennessee Firefly, an independent, nonpartisan news outlet covering education and government in Tennessee. We don't endorse candidates. We don't take political ads. We follow the money, the policy, and the people who shape your kids' schools. All data comes from official filings, verified reporting, and on-the-record sources, with freshness timestamps visible on every page that surfaces live data.