Victor L. Scoggin
Independent candidate
Victor 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, Cheatham
No TREF disclosure on file at last refresh
Who they are
Scoggin's campaign site describes him as a Navy veteran who served from 1977 to 1981, a retired volunteer firefighter of 43 years, a Coast Guard auxiliarist, a Tennessee armed guard, a 100 ton master captain on the western rivers, a retired Ford and UAW journeyman from 1985 to 2017, and a farmer. He founded and serves as president of Save the Cumberland Inc., which the site dates to 1996.
Source: Scoggin campaign (2026-08-08); Politics1
Why they are running
Scoggin runs against career politicians. His site carries the line “vote no politician, they have failed us,” and argues that officeholders are drawn by “the money, prestige, and the parties” rather than by their constituents. His platform runs to 44 points, weighted toward law enforcement funding, violent crime, criminal justice, homelessness and mental health, property taxes, and immigration enforcement.
Source: Scoggin campaign (2026-08-08)
Where they stand on education
Two of the 44 points on Scoggin's platform concern schools. He calls for an “equal amount of Conservative/Liberal educators in schools and colleges (state funded)” and for “God back in public schools and govt buildings.” The platform does not address vouchers, the state funding formula, or teacher pay.
Source: Scoggin campaign (2026-08-08)
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. Victor L. Scoggin filed from Pegram on March 10, 2026, and the Secretary of State recorded the petition signatures as approved.
Scoggin's platform is long but light on K-12 policy. The two planks above are the whole of it.
Sources
- 1. Scoggin campaign, Capt Vic Scoggin for Tennessee Governor (2026-08-08)
- 2. Politics1, Tennessee 2026 Elections
- 3. Tennessee Secretary of State, 2026 candidate lists (certified qualified candidates for governor)
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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.