State Rep. Monty Fritts is a candidate in Tennessee's Republican gubernatorial primary, joining Marsha Blackburn and John Rose in the race for the party's nomination. The primary is being held on Thursday, and the winner will move into the general election for governor.
Marsha Blackburn and John Rose
Blackburn is the front-runner, while Rose is also in the field. Bill Lee is term-limited, so Republicans are choosing who will try to replace him in Tennessee.
Donald Trump stayed neutral in the contest even after saying in January, “Unfortunately, she’s running for governor. She’s running for governor of Tennessee. I’d love her not to, I begged her,” about Blackburn. He also said, “I said, ‘Marsha, don’t. We don’t want to lose you in the Senate.’”
Jerri Green and Tennessee Democrats
Jerri Green, the Memphis City Councilwoman, is one of five Democrats seeking her party's gubernatorial nomination. Tennessee Democrats have not won a gubernatorial election in two decades, which leaves the Republican primary as the decisive step for the statehouse race.
Blackburn wrote on social media on the eve of the primary, “As President Trump sends power and authority back to the states, I'm ready to deliver for the people of the Volunteer State and make our state America's conservative leader,” with a photo of her and Trump. The Republican nominee that emerges Thursday will then face the general election campaign ahead.
Bill Hagerty in the Senate
The governor's contest is unfolding alongside other statewide races, including the Senate race in which Bill Hagerty is unopposed in the GOP primary and five Democrats are vying to challenge him in the general election. Al Gore's re-election 36 years ago was the last time a Democrat won a Senate contest in Tennessee.
That leaves Thursday's Republican gubernatorial primary as the main test of strength for Blackburn, Rose and Fritts. The result will show whether a lesser-known state representative can break through in a field led by a senator and a four-term representative.
