A Chattanooga congressman has endorsed U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, for governor.
In a column submitted to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Southeast Tennessee, said the choice is clear: Blackburn should be the next governor.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee was elected to serve a second term in 2022. The state’s chief executive is limited to two terms in Tennessee.
“There are three pillars of leadership Tennessee’s next governor must embody — unwavering determination, courage and a strong moral compass guided by conservative values,” Fleischmann wrote. “U.S. Sen. Blackburn is a proven leader in all of these aspects.”
Fleischmann cited Blackburn’s opposition to a state income tax in Tennessee, among other things.
(READ MORE: Former lawmaker defends governor’s education bill at Hamilton County GOP club)
The congressman said there is no better person than Blackburn to work alongside President Donald Trump in the role of Tennessee governor.
“I hope you’ll join me in encouraging her to run,” Fleischmann wrote. “Her candidacy — and election — would be a tremendous win for all Tennesseans.”
Fleischmann declined to be interviewed about his endorsement.
Blackburn has not officially made a bid for governor, but in January she made calls and told people she was likely to enter the race, according to Axios.
U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-Cookeville, has also teased a potential bid at a recent meeting of Republican women in Williamson County.
Rose told the group he was going to return home at the end of his congressional term instead of seeking reelection, according to a transcript of Rose’s comments.
“So, I’m going to come home at the end of this period, and I’m going to offer myself,” Rose said. “My plan is to — I have to make that qualification, my plan is to — offer myself as a candidate for governor in Tennessee.”
(READ MORE: As Blackburn, Rose look to be Tennessee’s governor, 2026 field may narrow)
Blackburn’s campaign did not respond to a request seeking comment on Fleischmann’s endorsement.
Kevin Roberts, president of the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club, is unable to make an endorsement of a candidate before a primary election as the leader of a local GOP club. But he said he thinks Blackburn would have the support of most of the Republicans in Hamilton County if she were to enter the race. He said people in the Chattanooga area don’t know that much about Rose, who represents a district in Middle Tennessee.
Rose visited Collegedale in October with Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, as part of the speaker’s “Tennessee Freedom Tour” ahead of the November election.
At the event, Sexton referred to Rose as his good friend and said the congressman does a wonderful job for Tennessee in Washington.
Blackburn has done a great job in the Senate and has taken the lead on issues that have made Tennessee look good, Roberts said.
“I’m kind of wondering why she would want to give up the Senate seat for governorship, because governorship is term-limited,” Roberts said of Blackburn by phone. “But it may just be that she wants to spend more time in Tennessee.”
Roberts’ only complaint, which he said was not specific to Blackburn, was that senators don’t spend as much time in Hamilton County as he would like — but he said he understood that there are only two in the state and that they can’t visit all the counties all the time.
Jane Armstrong is involved in the local GOP and said she couldn’t imagine Tennessee having a better governor than Blackburn. Armstrong attended Blackburn’s get-out-the-vote breakfast at Wally’s Restaurant in November.
“She just embodies all of the good conservative values,” Armstrong said by phone. “She not only embodies them, she works toward them, and she’s been an amazing leader in the Senate for us and has represented Tennessee so very well.”
(READ MORE: Marsha Blackburn reelected as US senator from Tennessee)
Armstrong said Rose is also an excellent candidate, but that she would support Blackburn in a primary election between the two.
Staff photo by Abby White / Anthony Lemley, left, and Jane Armstrong enjoy coffee during U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s get-out-the-vote breakfast at Wally’s Restaurant on McCallie Avenue in Chattanooga on Nov. 4, 2024.David Kanervo, a retired political science professor from Austin Peay State University, said he is unsure if there was collaboration between Fleischmann and Blackburn regarding the congressman’s endorsement.
“But if there is, it might be a way of limiting the primary competition,” Kanervo said by phone, “to suggest that Blackburn — who is very popular in the state — would be a very difficult candidate to beat in the primary, and so limiting others jumping in.”
Fleischmann may be eyeing Blackburn’s Senate seat, Kanervo said. Blackburn was reelected in November for a six-year term. If she wins the gubernatorial race, Blackburn would as governor be able to appoint a replacement to serve in her Senate seat.
“It may very well be that Fleischmann is someone that Blackburn would like to promote and support for the future,” Kanervo said, “and that this is a way of the two of them working together to do that.”
Contact Sarah Dolgin at sdolgin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.