A new poll released Thursday shows Democratic nominee Jerri Green gaining on Republican Marsha Blackburn in the race to be Tennessee’s next governor.
The poll, conducted last week by TargetSmart Communications, asked 600 likely voters a series of questions relevant to the race. When initially asked who they planned to vote for, 45% said Blackburn, 36% said Green, 10% said independent David Hatley and 2% said independent Lauren Pinkston. The remaining 7% indicated they were undecided.
That nine-point gap is progress for Green’s underdog campaign in a state that has only elected Republican governors for four straight cycles. The numbers also show Hatley — a conservative independent more likely to split the Republican vote — outperforming Pinkston, who some Democrats have worried will pull votes from Green.
Pollsters later provided “biographical descriptions” about the candidates to respondents, and each candidate was rated more positively after those statements, but voters narrowly ranked Green (42%) above Blackburn (41%) when asked who they “trust to address the issues most important to voters.” Another 12% said neither, and 4% rated both equally.
Green, who polled at 34% compared to Blackburn’s 55% in an August Beacon Center poll, shared the new poll results as “independent” on Thursday, describing the race as a “dead heat” in social media posts, which used the “trust” question rather than the initial ballot question.