Governor of Tennessee
Charles Van Morgan
CandidateIndependent
- Race
- Governor of Tennessee
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- Marsha Blackburn (R); Jerri Green (D); David Hatley (Independent); Lauren Pinkston (Independent); Misam Abidi (Independent); Dean Brewer (Independent); Ray Brown (Independent); Wendell Jackson (Independent); Eddie Lee Murphy (Independent); Victor L. Scoggin (Independent); Dave Seeman (Independent); Karl Knox Smithson (Independent); L. Webb Taylor (Independent); Robert C. Vick (Independent)
- Research
- Minimal record
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did0 statements · 0 votes
Charles Van Morgan of Knoxville is an independent candidate for governor of Tennessee who qualified by petition. He is listed as a businessman and former police officer, and describes himself as a Tennessee Highway Patrol veteran who now runs the Unbridled News YouTube channel. His campaign slogan is "Government Serving Us."[1][2]
On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Marsha Blackburn R | challenger |
| Jerri Green D | challenger |
| David Hatley Independent | challenger |
| Lauren Pinkston Independent | challenger |
| Misam Abidi Independent | challenger |
| Dean Brewer Independent | challenger |
| Ray Brown Independent | challenger |
| Wendell Jackson Independent | challenger |
| Charles Van Morgan Independent | challenger |
| Eddie Lee Murphy Independent | challenger |
| Victor L. Scoggin Independent | challenger |
| Dave Seeman Independent | challenger |
| Karl Knox Smithson Independent | challenger |
| L. Webb Taylor Independent | challenger |
| Robert C. Vick Independent | challenger |
Independent; qualified by petition.
Biography
Charles Van Morgan of Knoxville is an independent candidate for governor of Tennessee who qualified by petition. He is listed as a businessman and former police officer, and describes himself as a Tennessee Highway Patrol veteran who now runs the Unbridled News YouTube channel. His campaign slogan is "Government Serving Us."[1][2]
Little public record found for this candidate.
Van Morgan was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, according to the Ballotpedia profile summarized by the Tennessee Firefly.[1] That profile says he earned a bachelor's degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001 and a law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 2015, and that his career includes owning a logistics and transportation business and serving as a police officer and state trooper.[1] In a June 2026 letter to voters he describes himself as an 18-year commissioned law enforcement officer and Tennessee Highway Patrol veteran.[2]
Van Morgan says he runs Unbridled News, an accountability journalism YouTube channel, and that he has knocked 40,000 doors across all 95 Tennessee counties.[2] He says he passed the bar exam twice and was denied a law license twice, and that he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the denial.[2] His letter names the cost of living, accountability in the state judiciary and federal food assistance for children among his issues, and he is among the 13 independent candidates for governor on the November ballot.[3][2]
Van Morgan filed his petition from Knoxville on March 4, 2026, and the Secretary of State recorded its signatures as approved.[1]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/charles-van-morgan
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Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Charles Van Morgan · The Tennessee Firefly News report
- 2.A Letter from Charles Van Morgan to Tennessee Voters · Daughter of Tennessee (Substack) · 2026-06-07 Candidate's own words
- 3.Some Tennessee independent candidates share their visions · Nashville Banner · 2026-09-22 News report