Candidate briefing
Jerri Green was 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. On November 3 she lost a close race to Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, according to NBC News projections and the Tennessee Secretary of State. She conceded and told supporters it was not the end of the fight.
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 ran a closer-than-expected race for governor after winning a contested primary as a public defender and local elected official.