Republican Marsha Blackburn won the Tennessee governor’s race. She defeated Democrat Jerri Green.
The Associated Press called the race. Blackburn won 45.5 percent to 43 percent.
Blackburn becomes the first woman elected governor of Tennessee. No Tennessee governor has won with less than 50 percent of the vote in at least a century.
Tennessee’s first woman governor
Blackburn is 74 and a US senator. She will succeed Governor Bill Lee, who could not run again because of term limits.
Green conceded just after 10:30 p.m. Central Time on election night. Fewer than 55,000 votes separated the two candidates.
Blackburn must resign from the US Senate before she is sworn in. She takes office on January 16, 2027.
The win keeps the governor’s office in Republican hands. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Tennessee since 2008.
What is confirmed: Blackburn won the race. Green lost. Tennessee has its first woman elected governor.
