Election Day, Nov 3 9 daysSenate D 78%House D 93%Governors D 86%Forecast updated Oct 25

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Governor · Tennessee · open seat

Tennessee Governor

Jerri Green vs Marsha Blackburn

ForecastR +10.5
Democrat4%
Republican96%
RatingSafe R
Full forecast
Brief me as

Neutral view. Pick a side and the War Room briefs you as that campaign's operative.

Vital signs

Campaign health, 0 to 100, from public money, outside spending, ballots and activity
DemocratJerri GreenCriticalBase 14, minus 4 for liabilities
100100
  • Money weight 2513

    Raised $1.8M against $12.8M for Marsha Blackburn.

  • Cash weight 2015

    $560K in the bank against $3.1M for Marsha Blackburn.

  • −4 Outmatched five to one in cash. $560K against $3.1M.
RepublicanMarsha BlackburnStrong
750100
  • Money weight 2587

    Raised $12.8M against $1.8M for Jerri Green.

  • Cash weight 2085

    $3.1M in the bank against $560K for Jerri Green.

  • Activity weight 1025

    1 mention on shows and podcasts in two weeks.

How each side wins

From the forecast, the polls, the county map, voter groups, money and ballots
If you work for Jerri Green
  1. Close the gap

    Jerri Green trails by 10.5 and wins 4% of simulations. Closing it takes about 121,126 voters switching sides, or 242,252 more net votes from new turnout.

  2. The range

    In 8 of 10 simulations the result lands between R +18.0 and R +2.9. Only an unusual polling error changes the winner.

  3. The polls

    The polls page average is R +11.2. Your best recent poll is Spry Strategies at R +11.5; your worst is Spry Strategies at R +11.5. 1 polls in the last 30 days.

  4. Turn out the base

    The biggest vote banks for Democrats: Davidson, a projected net 106,532 votes; Shelby, a projected net 104,334 votes; Hamilton, a projected net 4,978 votes. Every point of extra turnout here is worth more than persuasion anywhere else.

  5. Win the battlegrounds

    The large counties within 12 points: Knox, R +1.5, 7.4% of the vote; Hamilton, D +3.7, 5.8% of the vote; Williamson, R +9.0, 4.6% of the vote; Rutherford, R +0.9, 4.6% of the vote.

  6. Where you run behind the 2024 map

    Against the 2024 presidential vote, Jerri Green runs furthest behind in Madison, Montgomery, Cumberland. That is where the forecast sees voters who backed your side two years ago and have not come back yet.

  7. The coalition levers

    Groups big enough to move the race: Voters who cast ballots in 2022 and 2024, 59% of voters, 36 to 55, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.96 points; Voters who find daily costs hard to afford, 59% of voters, 43 to 47, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.94 points; Voters without a degree, 57% of voters, 38 to 55, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.84 points.

  8. Where you lose ground

    The forecast's worst groups for Jerri Green: Immigration voters 16 to 76, Small counties 24 to 70, Voters who can afford daily costs 30 to 61. Cutting the loss here is often cheaper than winning new groups.

  9. The money

    $560K cash against $3.1M. Outspent: lean on earned media, digital, field and the outside groups, and pick the two or three media markets that decide it.

  10. What the ballots so far say

    The early vote has moved this forecast 0.4 points toward Jerri Green. Bank it: chase the remaining mail ballots and low propensity voters who have not voted.

  11. Marsha Blackburn's strongest asset

    Money: Raised $12.8M against $1.8M for Jerri Green.

If you work for Marsha Blackburn
  1. Protect the lead

    Marsha Blackburn leads by 10.5 in the forecast and wins 96% of simulations. The cushion is about 242,252 votes; a one point swing is about 11,558 voters changing sides.

  2. The range

    In 8 of 10 simulations the result lands between R +2.9 and R +18.0. Only an unusual polling error changes the winner.

  3. The polls

    The polls page average is R +11.2. Your best recent poll is Spry Strategies at R +11.5; your worst is Spry Strategies at R +11.5. 1 polls in the last 30 days.

  4. Turn out the base

    The biggest vote banks for Republicans: Sullivan, a projected net 20,066 votes; Bradley, a projected net 15,049 votes; Sumner, a projected net 13,620 votes. Every point of extra turnout here is worth more than persuasion anywhere else.

  5. Win the battlegrounds

    The large counties within 12 points: Knox, R +1.5, 7.4% of the vote; Hamilton, D +3.7, 5.8% of the vote; Williamson, R +9.0, 4.6% of the vote; Rutherford, R +0.9, 4.6% of the vote.

  6. Where you run behind the 2024 map

    Against the 2024 presidential vote, Marsha Blackburn runs furthest behind in Putnam, Washington, Williamson. That is where the forecast sees voters who backed your side two years ago and have not come back yet.

  7. The coalition levers

    Groups big enough to move the race: Voters who cast ballots in 2022 and 2024, 59% of voters, 55 to 36, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.96 points; Voters who find daily costs hard to afford, 59% of voters, 47 to 43, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.94 points; Voters without a degree, 57% of voters, 55 to 38, where a 5 point gain is worth 2.84 points.

  8. Where you lose ground

    The forecast's worst groups for Marsha Blackburn: Black voters 14 to 78, 2024 nonvoters and third party voters 30 to 61, Large counties 35 to 57. Cutting the loss here is often cheaper than winning new groups.

  9. The money

    $3.1M cash against $560K. Spend it early on persuasion television in the battleground counties and keep a reserve for the last week.

  10. What the ballots so far say

    The early vote has moved this forecast 0.4 points away from Marsha Blackburn. Election Day has to make it up: the remaining vote must break harder your way than the forecast expects.

  11. Jerri Green's strongest asset

    Cash: $560K in the bank against $3.1M for Marsha Blackburn.

The map for Green

County projections from the forecast
Vote banksWhere the biggest net margins come from
CountyForecastVote shareNet D
DavidsonD +45.510.1%+106,532
ShelbyD +39.211.5%+104,334
HamiltonD +3.75.8%+4,978
HaywoodD +15.50.2%+816
BattlegroundsLarge counties within 12 points
CountyForecastVote shareNet D
KnoxR +1.57.4%-2,514
HamiltonD +3.75.8%+4,978
WilliamsonR +9.04.6%-9,650
RutherfordR +0.94.6%-946
Behind the 2024 mapRunning furthest behind the last presidential vote
CountyForecastVote shareNet D
MadisonR +5.91.4%-1,872
MontgomeryR +5.02.5%-2,898
CumberlandR +45.21.1%-11,869

The coalition

Green against Blackburn among the groups that can move it, from the forecast's voter group estimates
Swing groups
  • Voters who cast ballots in 2022 and 202459% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 3.0
    3655
  • Voters who find daily costs hard to afford59% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 2.9
    4347
  • Voters without a degree57% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 2.8
    3855
  • Women53% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 2.6
    4449
Weakest groups
  • Immigration voters11% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 0.6
    1676
  • Small counties30% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 1.5
    2470
  • Voters who can afford daily costs41% of voters · a 5 point gain is worth 2.1
    3061
GreenBlackburn

Scouting report

From the Watchdog people files, each line with its source
Jerri Green

No researched file yet; this candidate is queued for the next people file batch.

Marsha Blackburn

No researched file yet; this candidate is queued for the next people file batch.

The forecast

Margin over recent runs
R +14.8D +2.021 runs agonow
Now
R +10.5
8 in 10 land between
R +2.9 and R +18.0
Polling average
R +11.2
Partisan lean
R +28.6
Early vote effect
D +0.4

Recent polls

Last 45 days
PollsterDays agoSampleResult
Spry Strategies0635 LVR +11.5
TargetSmart33600 LVR +10.0

Money and the air war

Latest reports
GreenBlackburn
Raised$1.8M$12.8M
Spentn/an/a
Cash on hand$560K$3.1M
Outside money forn/an/a
Google adsn/an/a
Follow the money

The early vote

Tennessee, through 2026-10-24
Ballots cast
760,069
Party data
Modeled, the state does not report party
Ballot margin
R +25.8
Forecast expected
R +25.2
Against expectation
0.6 points better for Republicans

Party registration of who has voted, not how they voted.

Open the early vote tracker

Media watch

Who is putting this race in front of an audience
  • 2026-10-21
    Stella Parton influencer, leans D

    The singer, younger sister of Dolly Parton, claimed in a Facebook post that a Nashville area voting machine kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn when she tried to vote for the Democrat, and said she would never vote for Blackburn; no official response was reported. Source

Media watch

On the trail

Rallies and events, newest first

No stops logged yet for this race.

Races that move with this one

When the polls miss here, they tend to miss there too