Candidate briefing
Jerri Green is the 2026 Democratic nominee for governor of Tennessee. A Memphis city councilor for District 2 and Shelby County’s chief public defender, she won the August 6 primary with 69 percent of the vote. She faces Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November.
The City of Memphis identifies Green as a lifelong Memphian who graduated from White Station High School, earned degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and previously directed the Community Legal Center. The Daily Memphian has reported on her appointment as interim chief public defender while serving on the council and running for governor. Tennessee has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006.
Why Political Revolution supports her: she is the Democratic nominee for governor after winning a contested primary as a public defender and local elected official.