Gary Humble, the founder and director of the ultra-conservative organization Tennessee Stands, will enter the 2026 Republican primary race for Tennessee Senate District 27, setting up a rematch with Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin.
Speaking to the Signal Mountain Conservative Club this week, Humble said he is part of a new Republican regime and is “fighting a spiritual battle.”
Humble lost to Johnson by 786 votes out of 24,000 cast in 2022 and said 10,000 new voters in District 27 will help him close the gap this time around. District 27 encompasses Williamson County and sits outside Nashville. Johnson was first elected to the state Senate in 2006.
Just a week after announcing his candidacy Sept. 3, Humble spoke to a room of Hamilton County residents gathered at the Waldens Ridge Emergency Service in Signal Mountain who are ineligible to vote in District 27. Why make that appearance?
“For me, it’s less about running. I mean, I’ve been running Tennessee Stands for five years, doing advocacy across the state,” Humble told the Chattanooga Times Free Press after the meeting. “A lot of these people are part of that and have been following and engaging.”