Thoughts On The 2026 Tennessee Primary Elections (Op-Ed By Trent D. Laviano)

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Note from The Tennessee Conservative: Editorial statements in this column are the sole opinion of the author; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of this publication.

Submitted by Trent D. Laviano –

The 2026 primary has ended and the results have been announced. Although the outcome was mixed, there are still interesting conclusions that can be drawn from the results.

The nomination of Marsha Blackburn as the Republican candidate for Governor was a clear victory for Tennessee conservatives. However, the fact that Charlie Hatcher was able to gain the nomination for the 5^th Congressional District is a clear indication that the GOP establishment is still actively trying to regain control of the party.

The highest profile race was the GOP primary for Governor. Marsha Blackburn won the nomination by a fairly wide margin. This occurred despite a massive amount of advertising by John Rose. His campaign ads initially stressed his business experience and described himself as a “CEO” who could “make tough decisions” and assured the voters that he was “just like Trump.” 

He also said that he was “applying for the job” of Governor. However, this approach soon became irrelevant when President Trump endorsed Marsha Blackburn and she began running ads which showed him urging voters to vote for her.  

John Rose must have done some internal polling which showed that his initial advertising was not as effective as he would have liked, because he released a new series of ads in which he changed from wearing a suit to a flannel shirt and blue jeans and was depicted working in a field in order to remind everyone about his experience as a farmer. These also stressed his devout religious beliefs and even seemed to imply that God was supporting his candidacy. Despite the vast amount of money that he spent on his ultimately futile campaign, he came across as rather sanctimonious and as someone who was trying too hard to be popular. 

Despite all of his claims to being a “conservative,” John Rose was simply another one of the endless succession of establishment Republicans that are all too numerous in Tennessee politics. He voted against President Trump’s border wall (HJ Res. 31, Roll Call Vote #87) on 19 February 2019 which passed by a margin of 300-128. He also opposed deporting illegal immigrants (Good Morning Cookeville, 20 June 2024 at 23:00 minute mark) and voted to remove immigration caps (see Politico 10 July 2019; HR 1044, Roll Call Vote#437, passed 365-65). However, primaries are typically decided by the most informed and politically engaged voters. These are the ones who are the least likely to be swayed by slick commercials which are long on platitudes but devoid of any real substance.  

He also claimed to have been a participant in the 2002 protests when opponents of a proposed state income tax drove around the State Capitol honking their car horns and even released a picture of his red pickup truck which was supposedly taken at that time. However, it was later determined that this picture had actually been taken during a 2004 reunion of the tax protesters. 

It was also revealed that John Rose had voted in Democrat primaries in 2002 and 2004 (a Presidential election year) and that he had donated at least $19,000 to Democrats between 1998 and 2010. These included state legislators who supported the proposed state income tax and in included Senator Bob Rochelle (D-Lebanon), Rep. Matt Kisber (D-Jackson), Rep. Bobby Sands (D-Columbia), Rep. John White (D-Lawrenceburg), and Sen. Charlotte Burks (D-Monterey). He also donated to Democrats at the Congressional level, Bart Gordon and Lincoln Davis in 2008 and 2010.

Another primary contest took place in the 5^th Congressional District where incumbent Andy Ogles lost to challenger Charlie Hatcher. Despite having a strong conservative voting record since entering Congress in 2023, Andy Ogles was defeated largely because he had made a series of unforced errors which made him vulnerable to a primary challenge. These included an investigation into his campaign finances. Although this ended without him being charged, it still had the effect of casting doubt on his credibility as a political candidate. In addition to that, he appears to have established a pattern of deliberately provoking controversy as a means to generate public attention. Despite the fact that he was endorsed by Donald Trump, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, Mike Johnson, and Steve Scalise this was not enough to enable him to win.

Charlie Hatcher had been the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture from 2019. Despite being more of an establishment candidate, he had the advantage of never having taken any strongly unpopular positions or being involved in anything that had been especially controversial. The list of who supported him in this primary is noteworthy. Charlie Hatcher was endorsed by establishment Republicans such as Bill Lee, Bill Haslam, Zach Wamp, and Sonny Perdue. 

The lesson that can be drawn from this primary is that even a solid conservative can lose to an establishment candidate when he makes himself vulnerable to a challenge.

The results of this primary can be viewed as a cautionary tale for Tennessee conservatives. Although most voters in Tennessee Republican primaries are inclined to support MAGA candidates, the GOP establishment would like nothing better than to regain control of the party. They are closely watching every election for every office and are always looking for an opportunity to support someone who is more closely aligned with their point of view. 

Both John Rose and Charlie Hatcher were essentially wolves in sheep’s clothing who claimed to be conservatives but are actually tied to the GOP establishment. They both ran very deceptive campaigns. The establishment faction can’t win by openly claiming to be “moderates,” but they intend to get elected by claiming to be something that they are not.

There are a lot of “Republicans” who are nostalgic for the time when they could pull a Don Sundquist type of bait and switch. Marsha Blackburn represents a real challenge to that faction, and she will have a chance to really change things for the better in contrast to our last four Governors. Things have already changed substantially since the three statewide elected offices were held by establishment figures. Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, and Bill Haslam have been replaced by Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty. Marsha Blackburn is now the clear favorite to become the next Governor of Tennessee. The fact that she has indicated that she will choose her own successor in the Senate as opposed to letting Bill Lee appoint somebody like Bill Haslam is especially significant. 

The party establishment has never really supported Marsha Blackburn and she certainly does not owe them any favors. The Governor is the single most influential individual in state politics. She will have eight years to move the Tennessee Republican Party and the state as a whole in the right direction and it appears that she fully intends to take full advantage of this opportunity.

She explained during an interview on Breitbart News Daily in December that she wanted to. “make Tennessee the most conservative state in the country.” “President Trump is sending power and authority back to the states every single day. Whether it is regulations or benefits or health care, education, energy, employment, I think this is going to be a great time to reshape how our states work.”

About the Author: Trent D. Laviano served in Iraq and is retired from the U.S. Army. He is currently an attorney in Tennessee.