Other Candidates
Every candidate for governor in 2026 outside the four full profiles: the 13 independents on the November 3, 2026 ballot, and the candidates who ran in the August 6 primaries.
Misam Abidi
Businessman, financial education & emerging technology
IndependentMisam Abidi 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. Abidi filed on March 5, 2026 and lives in Nolensville.
Nolensville independent whose seven-pillar platform covers crypto innovation, a proposed Tennessee Dividend Fund, healthcare costs and a Tennessee Skills Guarantee. In June 2026 a federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against a Misam M. Abidi of Nolensville over an alleged cryptocurrency scheme; the charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
His Tennessee Skills Guarantee holds that every student should graduate with real skills, and lists financial literacy, trade skill training, technology and AI education, and apprenticeships among its goals.
Dean Brewer
Independent candidate
IndependentDean Brewer 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. Brewer filed on March 10, 2026 and lives in Knoxville.
Knoxville independent who qualified by petition on the March 10 deadline. He has described a program to house homeless veterans and provide counseling and on-the-job trade training.
Ray Brown
Independent candidate
IndependentRay Brown 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. Brown filed on January 14, 2026 and lives in Oliver Springs.
Oliver Springs independent, listed by Politics1 as an electrician, and the earliest of the 13 to file. He has said he intends to stand up against corruption in the legislative and judicial systems.
David Hatley
Businessman
IndependentDavid Hatley 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. Hatley filed on March 10, 2026 and lives in Gray.
Elizabethton-born entrepreneur from Gray who owns businesses in the Tri-Cities. His campaign says he built nine companies and created 750 Tennessee jobs, and he founded a hot tub manufacturer in East Tennessee.
Proposes placing expert reading coaches in the state’s 100 lowest-performing elementary schools, citing Mississippi as the model, and supports trade education and apprenticeships, investment in public schools, and raising teacher pay.
Wendell Jackson
Independent candidate
IndependentWendell Jackson 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. Jackson filed on February 4, 2026 and lives in Clarksville.
Clarksville independent, listed by Politics1 as a spoken word performer and comedian, running what he calls a nonpartisan, no-money campaign built around employment, housing stability and healthcare.
Charles Van Morgan
Independent candidate
IndependentCharles 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 independent listed by Politics1 as a businessman and former police officer. Ballotpedia records degrees from Tennessee Wesleyan, the University of Tennessee and the Nashville School of Law, and a career that includes a logistics business and service as a police officer and state trooper.
Eddie Lee Murphy
Independent candidate
IndependentEddie Lee Murphy 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. Murphy filed on February 17, 2026 and lives in Spring Hill.
Spring Hill independent who was one of eight Republican candidates in the October 7, 2025 special-election contest for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District.
Lauren Pinkston
Former Lipscomb University professor
IndependentLauren Pinkston 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. Pinkston filed on February 13, 2026 and lives in Columbia.
Columbia independent who began her career as a fourth grade teacher, later earned a doctorate from Clemson, and taught at Lipscomb University from 2020 to 2023. She started businesses employing survivors of human trafficking. This is her first run for office.
Says schools should be prioritized as safe and well-funded institutions of discovery, and has said her aims include limiting data and benchmark tests that get in the way of teaching.
Victor L. Scoggin
Independent candidate
IndependentVictor L. Scoggin 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. Scoggin filed on March 10, 2026 and lives in Pegram.
Pegram independent and Navy veteran who describes himself as a retired volunteer firefighter of 43 years, a retired Ford and UAW journeyman, a river captain and a farmer, and who founded Save the Cumberland Inc.
His 44-point platform includes two schools planks: an equal number of conservative and liberal educators in state-funded schools and colleges, and returning God to public schools and government buildings.
Dave Seeman
Independent candidate
IndependentDave Seeman 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. Seeman filed on March 9, 2026 and lives in Nashville.
Nashville independent whose campaign site describes him as an engineer and small business owner, and who wrote a policy document he calls The Volunteer Plan.
Would repeal the Education Freedom Scholarship program and redirect $144 million a year into public schools, enforce class size caps, add counselors and special education aides, fund teacher retention bonuses, and require a half credit of financial literacy to graduate.
Karl Knox Smithson
Independent candidate
IndependentKarl Knox Smithson 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. Smithson filed on February 19, 2026 and lives in McMinnville.
McMinnville independent who qualified by petition on February 19, 2026. Politics1 lists him as a homeless community activist. No campaign website or published platform could be located.
L. Webb Taylor
Independent candidate
IndependentL. Webb Taylor 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. Taylor filed on March 10, 2026 and lives in Memphis.
Memphis independent who qualified by petition on the March 10 deadline. Politics1 lists him as a corporate health and wellness consultant. No campaign website or published platform could be located.
Robert C. Vick
Educator
IndependentRobert C. Vick 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. Vick filed on February 2, 2026 and lives in Dandridge.
Dandridge independent who spent 40 years in East Tennessee public schools as a math teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and athletic director in Hamblen, Jefferson and Cocke counties. He runs as a Christian independent.
His Rural Readiness initiative would realign high school curricula with the needs of local industry to create pathways into higher-paying work in rural counties.
Carnita Atwater
Memphis community advocate
DemocratCarnita Atwater ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and received 17.9% of the vote (63,254 votes), 51.2 points behind Jerri Green, who won the nomination with 69.0%. Results are complete but unofficial until county election commissions certify them by August 24, 2026.
Primary results, county by county →Memphis community advocate, museum president, and 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidate (third place). Also ran for Memphis mayor in 2023. Career spans healthcare and higher-ed administration; currently leads the African American International Museum Foundation.
Has spoken broadly about improving education and addressing disparities but has not articulated specific positions on vouchers, teacher pay, or funding reform.
Atwater finished behind Jerri Green in the August 6 Democratic primary. She previously placed third in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary and ran for Memphis mayor in 2023.
Tim Cyr
Home repair business owner
DemocratTim Cyr ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and received 4.2% of the vote (14,795 votes), 64.9 points behind Jerri Green, who won the nomination with 69.0%. Results are complete but unofficial until county election commissions certify them by August 24, 2026.
Primary results, county by county →"Tennessee Tim" runs a home repair business in Gallatin. Previously ran for Illinois House District 109 in 2010 and the 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial primary. No campaign website or media coverage in the 2026 cycle.
Unknown. No public statements on education policy.
Cyr ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and did not win the nomination. He also ran in the 2022 Tennessee gubernatorial primary and for Illinois House District 109 in 2010.
Adam "Ditch" Kurtz
Nashville musician & activist
DemocratAdam "Ditch" Kurtz ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and received 3.5% of the vote (12,456 votes), 65.5 points behind Jerri Green, who won the nomination with 69.0%. Results are complete but unofficial until county election commissions certify them by August 24, 2026.
Primary results, county by county →Nashville pedal steel guitarist who launched his campaign at The 5 Spot in East Nashville in May 2025 with the slogan "By the people, for the people, I'm a people." Running a grassroots small-donor-only campaign that explicitly rejects corporate money.
Wants Tennessee public schools to be "number one in the country." Supports raising teacher pay, supporting teachers' unions, and directing marijuana tax revenue toward schools.
Kurtz ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and did not win the nomination. He ran a small-donor campaign that declined corporate money.
Kevin Lee McCants
Democratic candidate
DemocratKevin Lee McCants ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and received 5.4% of the vote (18,961 votes), 63.7 points behind Jerri Green, who won the nomination with 69.0%. Results are complete but unofficial until county election commissions certify them by August 24, 2026.
Primary results, county by county →Filed on the deadline day to enter the Democratic primary. Polled at 11% in the Targoz Market Research April 20 to 27, 2026 Democratic primary survey, behind Jerri Green's 14% but ahead of the rest of the Democratic field.
No detailed public statements on education policy as of mid-May 2026.
McCants ran in the August 6 Democratic primary and did not win the nomination. He polled at 11 percent in an April 2026 Targoz Market Research survey of the Democratic field.
This page includes all candidates who filed qualifying petitions with the Tennessee Secretary of State before the March 10, 2026 deadline, except the four with full profiles. Ballot status comes from the Secretary of State's certified candidate list; primary vote totals come from the frozen August 6 results. If you represent one of these campaigns and would like to provide additional information, please contact us.
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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.