Governor of Tennessee
Jerri Green
Memphis City Council member, District 2 (since 2024)D
- Race
- Governor of Tennessee
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- Marsha Blackburn (R); David Hatley (Independent); Lauren Pinkston (Independent); Misam Abidi (Independent); Dean Brewer (Independent); Ray Brown (Independent); Wendell Jackson (Independent); Charles Van Morgan (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
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did7 statements · 0 votes
Jerri Green is a member of the Memphis City Council representing District 2 and the Democratic nominee for governor. She is an attorney and former public defender and executive director of the Community Legal Center.[1][2]
Compare statements with votes ›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 |
Won the Aug. 6 Democratic primary with about 69% of the vote.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Platform says she would repeal Tennessee's near-total abortion ban and sign an executive order protecting doctors from prosecution.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Platform calls for universal background checks on all gun sales, red flag laws, closing domestic violence loopholes and free gun locks.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Would sign an executive order on day one to end Tennessee Highway Patrol and law enforcement cooperation with ICE and ban ICE from state buildings.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Would expand Medicaid to cover more working families, keep rural hospitals open and protect TennCare.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Platform says she would fully fund K-12 public education 'not siphon dollars into unaccountable voucher schemes'.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Day-one plan uses $50 million of TANF funds to clear the child care waitlist; platform also proposes universal pre-K and more affordable child care.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Platform calls for investing in renewable energy and green jobs and enforcing clean air and water standards.
Documented position[3]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Jerri Green is a member of the Memphis City Council representing District 2 and the Democratic nominee for governor. She is an attorney and former public defender and executive director of the Community Legal Center.[1][2]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Green was born and raised in Memphis and graduated from White Station High School.[1][4] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and political science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1999 and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 2003.[1][4]
Green began her legal career as a juvenile public defender in Nashville and later became executive director of the Community Legal Center in Memphis, which provides legal services to people who could not otherwise afford them.[1] She also served Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as senior policy advisor and deputy chief of staff, and her campaign biography says she was appointed Shelby County's Chief Public Defender.[1]
Green joined the Memphis City Council, representing District 2, on January 1, 2024.[2][4] She won the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary for governor and is the party's nominee in the November 3 general election.[4]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- bill2024-06-04 · Sponsored Memphis Ordinance No. 5906 to let the City Court Clerk's office accept partial payments for traffic citations; it was approved on second reading.[5]
- actionHer campaign site says she launched Tennessee's first free gun lock-by-mail program in Memphis and led an effort to clear $17 million in medical debt for 12,000 Memphians (campaign claims, not independently verified).[6]
In their own words
Priorities
- Day-one actions using federal TANF funds: waiving security deposits, clearing the child care waitlist and erasing medical debt.[3]
- Expanding Medicaid, protecting TennCare, and repealing Tennessee's near-total abortion ban.[3]
- Fully funding public schools rather than 'unaccountable voucher schemes', raising teacher pay and expanding universal pre-K.[3]
- Gun safety measures including universal background checks and red flag laws.[3]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/jerri-green
Compare all 15 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Meet Jerri Green · Jerri Green for Governor Candidate's own words
- 2.2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 3.Jerri's Platform · Jerri Green for Governor Candidate's own words
- 4.Jerri Green - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
- 5.Minutes, Memphis City Council meeting of June 4, 2024 · City of Memphis · 2024-06-04 Official record
- 6.Meet Jerri Green · Jerri Green for Governor Candidate's own words