Most people by now know the name of Marsha Blackburn, the United States senator and Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee. Some may know the name of Jerri Green, the Democratic nominee for governor.
But do you know the names of Willa McCord Blake Eslick or Irene Bailey Baker? They were the state’s first women in Congress. Or do you recall Jane Eskind, the first woman to win an election to a statewide office in Tennessee?
Blackburn and Green today stand on their shoulders.
Blackburn, as we first wrote months ago, or Green, will be Tennessee’s first female governor. Blackburn also would be the first elected and serving Tennessee United States senator to become governor. Several have been governor and then become senator — most recently Lamar Alexander.
Prior to 2026, 33 states have had a woman serve as governor. In the South, only Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee have not had a woman as chief executive.