U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., announced a 2026 reelection bid Tuesday to keep his current U.S. Senate seat after his first term is up.
Hagerty has a business background and was elected to the Senate in 2020. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during President Donald Trump’s first administration and previously served as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development from 2011-14.
A week before his Senate reelection announcement, a campaign spokesperson for Hagerty told the Knoxville News Sentinel that the senator was weighing his options when asked about a potential bid for Tennessee governor.
Hagerty’s office did not respond to an interview request by press time.
Rumors of Hagerty’s potential gubernatorial bid came a few weeks after U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told people she is likely to run for governor, according to Axios.
(READ MORE: Political notebook: Gavels, governor rumors and a special session)
Blackburn was reelected to a second Senate term in November and has not officially confirmed a bid for governor.
Contact Sarah Dolgin at sdolgin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.