Tennessee Governor's Lone Debate Set for Oct. 27 — Frontrunner Blackburn Declines to Attend
NASHVILLE — The first — and so far only — general-election debate in Tennessee's governor's race is set for 7 p.m. CT on Oct. 27 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Republican nominee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, however, has declined to attend.
Organized by the Tennessee Press Association, the debate will be broadcast live from a studio setting and will not be open to the public. Democratic nominee and Memphis City Council member Jerri Green and independent candidates Dakotah Hatley and Ray Pinkston have all signed unconditional agreements to participate, The Tennessean reported Oct. 12. Blackburn also skipped debates during this summer's Republican primary, and her campaign has not publicly explained her absence from this event.
Green had said when she entered the race that she would debate unconditionally if invited alongside the other major candidates, and her campaign confirms she will appear as scheduled.
The governor's race will be decided Nov. 3; incumbent Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited. Without both major-party nominees on stage, the Oct. 27 event remains one of the few chances for voters to compare the participating candidates side by side.
Source: The Tennessean, Oct. 12, 2026
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 田纳西州议会大厦（纳什维尔），CC BY-SA 2.0，摄影：euthman（Wikimedia Commons）
