Jerri Green

Jerri Green is the only Democrat in the 2026 Tennessee Governor's race who's won an elected office, and she has openly acknowledged the challenge she's facing. Tennessee hasn't elected a Democratic governor since Phil Bredesen won re-election in 2006, and the party hasn't won any statewide office since. Green's pitch is that she's different: she's a local officeholder, not a national figure; a public defender, not a politician; and a mother of three who brands herself "One Tough Mother."

Born and raised in Memphis, Green attended White Station High School, one of the state's premier public schools. She earned her B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, then headed to Georgetown University Law Center for her J.D. After law school, she worked as a public defender in D.C. and practiced international human rights law before returning to Tennessee.

Back in Memphis, Green became the Executive Director of the Community Legal Center, a nonprofit providing civil legal services to low-income residents. She spent nearly a decade teaching criminal law and juvenile justice at the University of Phoenix. In January 2026, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris appointed her as the county's Interim Chief Public Defender, overseeing an office that handles more than 22,000 cases per year.

Green won her seat on the Memphis City Council representing District 2 in a runoff election in November 2023. Her first run for office was the 2020 race for Tennessee House District 83, where she earned 46% of the vote against long-time Republican incumbent Mark White, a notable performance in a suburban East Memphis/Germantown district that typically leans Republican.

She describes herself as a three-time gun violence survivor, having lost people close to her to gun violence, an experience that shaped her work as the statewide election lead for the Tennessee Moms Demand Action Chapter.